Taia naticoides

26. October 2010

This nice, live bearing snail could be imported again from Inle lake in Burma. It is a close relative to the European species of Viviparus (river snails). Like these they feed on soft particles like mouldered food tablets, detritus etc. They do not fit for fights against algae. On the other hand they also leave plants completely unharmed.

As they come from subtropical regions they are suited to a broad array of temperatures and can be kept between 15 and 28°C. It is a very slow and calm species of snail. Like many other river snails they are sensitive against bad water conditions. Thus their aquarium should be kept with the very same attention as in keeping fish.

In these snails, males and females exist. The sexes can be easily distinguished by the broad and circled right antennae of the male. Coloration and shape of the shell are not usable for distinguishing the sexes, as both characters are very variable. Although in general only the very nice black-and-white specimens are traded, they can be also uniformly brown.

The young ones are about 2-4 mm in height when born. It seems that the females can produce offspring of different sizes. Adult snails may reach about 35 mm. The species likes to burry itself from time to time and thus at least a part of the aquarium bottom should be of fine and soft sand.

For our customers: the animals have code 488253 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Lexicon: Taia: not explained in the original description. As the word has very different meanings in Latin, ancient Greek, and Sanskrit, it makes no sense to speculate here. It may also be an indigenous name for snails at Inle lake. naticoides: means “similar to naticus”. viviparus: Latin, means “livebearing”.

Suggestion of a common name: Nubby piano snail

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer

Angaben zum Tier
Herkunft Burma
Verfügbare Größe in cm 3-4