Help ID this HH Snail PLease

[SnowManSnow]

Hi. This guy came in on my new frogspawn coral. He is probably a little more than a quater inch long.. He appears pale, almost clear. Friend of foe???

Any help is appreciated!

B.

 

[Oceans Ferevh]

Looks like a little abalone to me, but nto sure.

 

[Anonymous]

looks abalone to me. if it is friend and im seriously doubting foe if it isnt abalone..

 

[Anonymous]

Looks like a Stomatella varia to me, rather than an abalone. All abalone shells have holes in a line in them. That's one easy way to find out for sure.

 

[SnowManSnow]

umm.. so if it is abalone.. friend or foe???

B

 

[Anonymous]

friend

 

[SnowManSnow]

I got a positive ID after searching the net a bit. It is a small abalone now living peacfully in my reef tank

 

[Anonymous]

Eh? So are you saying it has a row of holes in the shell? That really looks like a Stomatella to me :?

 

[Anonymous]

Hey, Matt. Do Stomatellas have that irredescence on their shells?

 

[SnowManSnow]

VERY small at this point. I thought it was abalone becuase it has a very flattened shell.

If it is a stom. is that a bad thing??????

B.

 

[Anonymous]

Hey Snow, either are fine.
Andy

 

[Anonymous]

both are friend

 

[Anonymous]

Well abalones (all in the genus Haliotis) get huge. They would move around rocks and generally make a mess of your reef tank. But otherwise they are harmless herbivores.

And yes, S. varia can have that irridescent shell. The varia refers to the many different color morphs of the species IIRC. They are brown, white, grey, yellow, etc.