What's This Called?

[RonPeter]

When my lights came on today I saw this interesting critter on my rock...anyone know what it's called? Thanks.

[Andy]

Looks like a limpet to me.

[RonPeter]

Looks like a limpet to me.
:iagree: I looked on a few sites and that's what it looks like to me as well. It's kinda neat in appearance.

[kgolem]

This particular type has a mantle which covers the entire shell with a skirt around the perimeter. I have had this type in my aquarium on two different occassions. It is kinda cool in that it will spout what looks like smoke out of the hole in the top of the shell, this will be either waste product or part of the spawning process.

The last one in my tank began to die off and the mantle started to rot away. I picked it up off the bottom to toss it, and my Clarki Clownfish grabbed it out of my fingers and fed it to the carpet anenome that I had at the time. The next day the anenome spit out the shell clean an polished.

IMO, a perfectly harmless hitchhiker.

[fish_gurl]

definatly a limpet, I have a few in my tank as well. They reproduce like mad. Some say that they eat coraline, but I have not noticed any decline in mine. There neat little guys, hard as heck to get off your glass.
Ruth