Hitchhiker Limpet? ID please

elvn · 04/27/2006, 10:52 AM

Hi , I was wondering if anyone knows what this hitchhiker is. I found it piggy-back on one of my mexican turbo snail's shells. At first I thought it was part of the shell until I saw it moving. I'd like to know what it is so I can determine if its safe to put back into my setup.

The underside picture came out blurry, sorry.

LeslieH · 04/27/2006, 11:50 AM

It's a limpet and a grazer on algae. Harmless.

elvn · 04/27/2006, 04:34 PM

Thanks. I've had keyhole limpets before, but they were always small. I wasn't sure if this was a diff kind of limpet or not, and the fact that it was on my turbo's back made me nervous, so I wanted to make sure. This limpet is 1" long.

LeslieH · 04/27/2006, 08:31 PM

There are certain limpets which spend their lives riding around on other molluscs. All of them seem to be micro-grazers on algae or feed on organic particles, including the host snail's feces.

04/27/2006, 10:52 AM	#1
elvn Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: West Seneca, NY (WNY) Posts: 431	Hitchhiker Limpet? ID please Hi , I was wondering if anyone knows what this hitchhiker is. I found it piggy-back on one of my mexican turbo snail's shells. At first I thought it was part of the shell until I saw it moving. I'd like to know what it is so I can determine if its safe to put back into my setup. The underside picture came out blurry, sorry.

04/27/2006, 11:50 AM	#2
LeslieH Premium Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 3,178	It's a limpet and a grazer on algae. Harmless. __________________ Cheers, Leslie So many worms, so little time... Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

04/27/2006, 08:31 PM	#4
LeslieH Premium Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 3,178	There are certain limpets which spend their lives riding around on other molluscs. All of them seem to be micro-grazers on algae or feed on organic particles, including the host snail's feces. __________________ Cheers, Leslie So many worms, so little time... Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

04/27/2006, 04:34 PM	#3
elvn Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: West Seneca, NY (WNY) Posts: 431	Thanks. I've had keyhole limpets before, but they were always small. I wasn't sure if this was a diff kind of limpet or not, and the fact that it was on my turbo's back made me nervous, so I wanted to make sure. This limpet is 1" long.