Assassin Snails and what I have learned
- Thread starter Sounguru
- Start date
Mine haven't touched Nerites yet. It just doesn't seem too possible that they would go after a snail fairly larger than itself. Then again, mine seems to ignore the snails that most people say they eat.
They will usually go for the snails that are about their size first and usually the easiest to crack open so to speak then they will start going after the harder to crack species and take on larger snails than themselves.
It would make sense that there would perhaps be an "order" to which snails they'd attack. I have noticed that the weaker, slower snails (Ramshorns, Tarebia) have been eaten while the stronger and faster ones (Melanoides, Pond Snails, Nerites) have been ignored.
Updated the article again....
http://arizonainverts.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=204&st=0#entry1660
http://arizonainverts.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=204&st=0#entry1660
It's strange, when I first read that months ago, I just thought "That doesn't seem right", but I eventually realized my experience has been different from everyone else's.
..how many species are there really? I just thought there was only one - and that there was just some confusion over whether Anentome was a subgenus under Clea or a genus on it's own.
..how many species are there really? I just thought there was only one - and that there was just some confusion over whether Anentome was a subgenus under Clea or a genus on it's own.
There are 2 snails that they are still trying to determine if they are the same. One from Thailand and the other from Indonesia and that is what is causing the confusion in the the name. The Indonesia they are calling Clea Helena while the one from Thailand they are calling Anentome Helana. At least from the little I have been able to gleem off the net.
The Thailand one is not as well marked as the Indonesia variety, and a lot of people are saying they are they same snail just found in different localities.
In what ways have your experiences been different?
The Thailand one is not as well marked as the Indonesia variety, and a lot of people are saying they are they same snail just found in different localities.
In what ways have your experiences been different?
I'd have to believe they're the same species as well. Snails will vary in appearance depending on locality, MTS being a common example of this.
My experience with assassins is that they eat only ramshorns and quilted melanias, completely ignoring the bladder snails and mts that most people seem to feed them. They also seem like rather poor hunters. I've never seen the "lie in ambush with the tube out of the substrate" method work - if a snail hits the tube, the assassin just retracts it back, much like how a snail withdraws into it's own shell when you touch it. I've also often seen snails crawl over them with no retailation, and I've seen them crawl over large groups of snails without attacking any.
My experience with assassins is that they eat only ramshorns and quilted melanias, completely ignoring the bladder snails and mts that most people seem to feed them. They also seem like rather poor hunters. I've never seen the "lie in ambush with the tube out of the substrate" method work - if a snail hits the tube, the assassin just retracts it back, much like how a snail withdraws into it's own shell when you touch it. I've also often seen snails crawl over them with no retailation, and I've seen them crawl over large groups of snails without attacking any.
