Gabriel Paladino Ibáñez, Uruguay
Info
Nassarius arcularia (Linnaeus, 1758)
Nassarius arcularia is a shell snail from the family Nassariidae, which is colloquially known as pot snails. The very extensive family mainly includes small snails with a worldwide distribution and are usually found in large colonies in the intertidal area on soft bottoms. Fish snails are scavengers.
The shell size of Nassarius arcularia varies between 18 mm and 40 mm. The ovoid, ventricose shell is quite thick. The color of the casing is ash-gray, but sometimes bluish, and is decorated with one or more transverse white or brown bands. Another brown band always extends between the tubercles of the body vertebra. The operculum is oval and round, membranous and serrated on one of its edges.
The coloring varies equally, some specimens are completely white. Others are a uniform reddish or maroon color. The young of this species have much more pronounced wrinkles and stripes.
Synonymised names
Buccinum arcularia Linnaeus, 1758 · unaccepted (original combination)
Buccinum rumphii Deshayes, 1844 · unaccepted
Nassa arcularia (Linnaeus, 1758) · unaccepted
Nassarius (Nassarius) arcularia (Linnaeus, 1758) · alternate representation
Nassarius (Nassarius) arcularius (Linnaeus, 1758) · unaccepted
Nassarius arcularius [sic] · unaccepted (wrong grammatical agreement of...)
Direct children (2)
Subspecies Nassarius arcularia arcularia (Linnaeus, 1758)
Subspecies Nassarius arcularia plicatus (Röding, 1798)
The term "reef safe" is often used in marine aquaristics, especially when buying a new species people often ask if the new animal is "reef safe".
What exactly does reef safe mean?
To answer this question, you can ask target-oriented questions and inquire in forums, clubs, dealers and with aquarist friends:
- Are there already experiences and keeping reports that assure that the new animal can live in other suitably equipped aquariums without ever having caused problems?
- Is there any experience of invertebrates (crustaceans, hermits, mussels, snails) or corals being attacked by other inhabitants such as fish of the same or a different species?
- Is any information known or expected about a possible change in dietary habits, e.g., from a plant-based diet to a meat-based diet?
- Do the desired animals leave the reef structure "alone", do they constantly change it (boring starfish, digger gobies, parrotfish, triggerfish) and thus disturb or displace other co-inhabitants?
- do new animals tend to get diseases repeatedly and very quickly and can they be treated?
- Do known peaceful animals change their character in the course of their life and become aggressive?
- Can the death of a new animal possibly even lead to the death of the rest of the stock through poisoning (possible with some species of sea cucumbers)?
- Last but not least the keeper of the animals has to be included in the "reef safety", there are actively poisonous, passively poisonous animals, animals that have dangerous biting or stinging weapons, animals with extremely strong nettle poisons, these have to be (er)known and a plan of action should have been made in advance in case of an attack on the aquarist (e.g. telephone numbers of the poison control center, the treating doctor, the tropical institute etc.).
If all questions are evaluated positively in the sense of the animal(s) and the keeper, then one can assume a "reef safety".
Nassarius arcularia is a shell snail from the family Nassariidae, which is colloquially known as pot snails. The very extensive family mainly includes small snails with a worldwide distribution and are usually found in large colonies in the intertidal area on soft bottoms. Fish snails are scavengers.
The shell size of Nassarius arcularia varies between 18 mm and 40 mm. The ovoid, ventricose shell is quite thick. The color of the casing is ash-gray, but sometimes bluish, and is decorated with one or more transverse white or brown bands. Another brown band always extends between the tubercles of the body vertebra. The operculum is oval and round, membranous and serrated on one of its edges.
The coloring varies equally, some specimens are completely white. Others are a uniform reddish or maroon color. The young of this species have much more pronounced wrinkles and stripes.
Synonymised names
Buccinum arcularia Linnaeus, 1758 · unaccepted (original combination)
Buccinum rumphii Deshayes, 1844 · unaccepted
Nassa arcularia (Linnaeus, 1758) · unaccepted
Nassarius (Nassarius) arcularia (Linnaeus, 1758) · alternate representation
Nassarius (Nassarius) arcularius (Linnaeus, 1758) · unaccepted
Nassarius arcularius [sic] · unaccepted (wrong grammatical agreement of...)
Direct children (2)
Subspecies Nassarius arcularia arcularia (Linnaeus, 1758)
Subspecies Nassarius arcularia plicatus (Röding, 1798)
The term "reef safe" is often used in marine aquaristics, especially when buying a new species people often ask if the new animal is "reef safe".
What exactly does reef safe mean?
To answer this question, you can ask target-oriented questions and inquire in forums, clubs, dealers and with aquarist friends:
- Are there already experiences and keeping reports that assure that the new animal can live in other suitably equipped aquariums without ever having caused problems?
- Is there any experience of invertebrates (crustaceans, hermits, mussels, snails) or corals being attacked by other inhabitants such as fish of the same or a different species?
- Is any information known or expected about a possible change in dietary habits, e.g., from a plant-based diet to a meat-based diet?
- Do the desired animals leave the reef structure "alone", do they constantly change it (boring starfish, digger gobies, parrotfish, triggerfish) and thus disturb or displace other co-inhabitants?
- do new animals tend to get diseases repeatedly and very quickly and can they be treated?
- Do known peaceful animals change their character in the course of their life and become aggressive?
- Can the death of a new animal possibly even lead to the death of the rest of the stock through poisoning (possible with some species of sea cucumbers)?
- Last but not least the keeper of the animals has to be included in the "reef safety", there are actively poisonous, passively poisonous animals, animals that have dangerous biting or stinging weapons, animals with extremely strong nettle poisons, these have to be (er)known and a plan of action should have been made in advance in case of an attack on the aquarist (e.g. telephone numbers of the poison control center, the treating doctor, the tropical institute etc.).
If all questions are evaluated positively in the sense of the animal(s) and the keeper, then one can assume a "reef safety".
