Longspine Star Snail

Geographical Origin and Habitat: Widely distributed in the tropical Western Atlantic, including southern Florida, the Bahamas, and throughout the Caribbean. Inhabits shallow lagoons, rocky reefs, and seagrass flats.

Taxonomy: Member of the family Turbinidae. Features a depressed, low-conical shell measuring about 4-6 cm in width. Distinctly characterized by long, flattened triangular spines projecting from the whorl margins. Grows to 5 cm.

Social Behavior: Peaceful, primarily nocturnal, and strictly herbivorous. Crawls slowly over rocky surfaces and compacted sand, scraping algae off. Cannot easily right itself if flipped over.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Shell color is grayish-white, pale beige, or greenish, frequently camouflaged by coralline algae growths. Operculum is white and calcareous. No visible sexual dimorphism.

Tank Setup: Suitable for reef aquariums of 15 gallons or larger. Requires stable live rock and flat rock surfaces. Avoid tight rock crevices where the snail's long spines could get wedged.

Diet and Feeding: Strictly herbivorous. Consumes green hair algae, diatoms, cyanobacteria, and film algae. Supplement with dried seaweed (nori sheets) if natural algae is depleted.

Water Quality: Stable reef parameters. Salinity SG 1.021-1.025, pH 8.1-8.4, temperature 22-28°C. Highly sensitive to copper treatments and sudden osmotic shocks.

Compatibility and Tankmates: 100% reef-safe. Excellent member of the clean-up crew (CUC). Compatible with peaceful reef fish. May be targeted by hermits seeking replacement shells.

Aquarium Breeding: Broadcast spawner. Reproduction in home aquariums is extremely rare as pelagic larvae do not survive standard filtration systems.

Risks and Diseases: Starvation in overly clean aquariums. Death from being flipped over on sand; must be manually turned upright. Spine damage or shell erosion in aquariums with low calcium.