[sihaya]

I'm pretty sure this is a snail since there's actually a hard shell under all that black tissue. I have no idea where it came from though. I haven't added any new rock or coral to either tank in months.

[kosys]

It looks like some sort of sea slug, what ever it is I think it looks pretty cool. If it's no threat to your tank I think it would be a neat new addition.

P.S. I think it's amazing what turns up in a marine tank

Ken

[mickey57]

*********Cool.I will be waiting for updates on that Critter
.............................Mickey

[Poseidon]

Pretty cool Sara! I bought something like that once, called a "spanish dancer" because of the black dress. I saw it for 2-3 days, then it dissappeared... Yours must be doing all right, since you have not added any rock in a while. Have you added any corals big enough for this guy to hitch a ride on?

[rjs5134]

Sara,
I had one of those hitchike it's way in on a piece of lr, but didn't show itself for some time. The helpful people here at Reefland Id'd it as a limpet and provided a link to some useful info, but I can't find that post any longer. From what I recall it was harmless and possibly beneficial. Mine looked exactly like yours but had a white dot on it's back. Unfortunately it didn't survive the heat spell of last August.

Rob

[rjs5134]

aahhh, found it. Maybe not as beneficial as I thought, but interesting nonetheless.

Unusual tenant found, need id.

[sihaya]

Thanks for all the great info guys. I'm definitely going to keep. I'm even going to name him "Zoro" because of his black "cape."

Rob- I do think we're probably talking about the same kind of critter. Mine also has that slit in the back (and a white/tan shell underneath). He doesn't show it most the time. But if you poke him enough, he'll retract and you can see it.

[Ninong]

Sara,

Does it look like this?

[zhenya]

It looks certainly like the Scutus spp. sea slug that hitch hiked on live rock that I recieved from an online vendor about 4 years ago. Unfortunately mine didn;t survive for any considerable length of time (about 6 month or so), I wish it did.

[sihaya]

Originally Posted by Ninong

Sara,

Does it look like this?

Yeah, pretty much! Thanks for the cool link. But how can it be a slug if it has a shell?

Sorry to hear yours didn't make it Gene. I hope mine does. Maybe keeping it in the refugium will help?

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by sihaya

Yeah, pretty much! Thanks for the cool link. But how can it be a slug if it has a shell?

It's NOT a slug, it's a marine snail. You're paying too much attention to common names.

It's called a slug but it's not. Just as Elysia crispata is called a Lettuce Nudibranch but it's NOT a nudibranch. Common names are wonderful, aren't they?

Just call it Scutus and no one will be able to contradict you.

[sihaya]

Haha... yeah, I realized that soon after I posted. They say it in the article too (that it's not a slug). And yeah, I wish these common names wouldn't mix things up so much!

[zhenya]

I'm guilty as well, I know it's a limpet but I still called it a slug in my post...

[kosys]

trying to pronounce or remember all these scientific names mixes most people up or leaves them scratchin thier heads. I don't think it will bother the creature if we call it a slug.

Ninong no offence, but one could say maybe your paying to much attention to scientific names.

Call it what you want I think it's beautiful

Ken

[zhenya]

Originally Posted by kosys

Ninong no offence, but one could say maybe your paying to much attention to scientific names.

Ken,

I can understand if you have difficulties with scientific names...However, to have a meaningful discussion about a certain species one needs to know that the same species are being discussed. With common names that are being used in the hobby it is very difficult to do because many different things are given the same common name. I don't think we insist on using scientific names exclusively but when you do give a common name it is a good idea to give scientific name as well, this way there are no confusions. Especially if you need help with something...

[Ninong]

It's very difficult to know what someone is talking about when they use common names. Some species of fish have at least five or six different English common names and not everyone has heard all of them. And just as confusing, there are sometimes four or five different species that are called by the same common name. If someone says they have a "scooter blenny," the only thing I know for certain is that it's not a blenny. There are eight or ten different species of fish that are sold under the name "scooter blenny" and none of them are blennies.

If someone says they have a "Lettuce Nudibranch" and it eats algae, that's misleading to uninformed people who read that because they might think that some nudibranchs eat algae. No nudibranchs eat alage. Every nudibranch is carnivorous and usually extremely specialized in their prey. That's because Lettuce Nudibranchs are not nudibranchs.

LFS owners insist on selling Sebae Clownfish that are not Sebae Clownfish. They are almost always Clark's Clownfish. This is important if someone is trying to choose an appropriate host anemone. One LFS owner insisted that his Sebae Clowns accept his Sebae Anemones as hosts. This is absurd because real Sebae Clowns do not accept Sebae Anemones as hosts but Clark's Clowns do.

The biggest problem with common names is that they are different in different parts of the United States to say nothing of other countries. We have members on this board from dozens of different countries. They have no idea what we're talking about if we don't use scientific names. Reef Central now has more than 143,000 members from virtually every country with internet access. The scientific name is the only name that is universal no matter what your language or country.

Does everyone in Toronto know all of the English and French common names for every fish? What about people in Montreal or Quebec? Do they know every English and every French common name? How do you communicate with each other, or do you? If you used the scientific names there would be no doubt what you were talking about.



P.S. -- In the case of the animal that is the topic of discussion in this thread, it's called the Elephant Slug and the Shield Slug but it's not a slug, it's a limpet, which is a marine snail. It has a shell. Only one of it's common names includes the word limpet. That's the reverse of the Lettuce Nudibranch being called a nudibranch when it is a slug.

[sihaya]

..

[sihaya]

Well, I'm far from a taxomony nazi, but I do agree we should *try* not to confuse the very basic classifications like snails, slugs, chitons, nudibranches, etc.

[kosys]

Hi Gene, Hi Ninong

I totaly understand what you guys are talking about. it's the same in a lot of different sciences, plants, animals and so on. I also understand the need for scientific names. It just makes me crazy when your tryin hard to learn something and you think your following along ok, then all of a sudden your lost in the science without a clue.

I really hope I didn't offend anyone, that was not my intentions. If I did I apologize.

Best Regards
Ken

[Ninong]

When I first got interested in the hobby, I had no idea which fish someone was talking about when they said they had a "blue tang."

At first I figured it had to be Acanthurus coeruleus because caeruleus means blue in Latin. Sure enough, that fish is called the blue tang. Only problem is it's almost never the blue tang the other person is talking about. They're usually talking about either Paracanthurus hepatus or Acanthurus leucosternon -- the latter is more properly called the powder blue tang.

I had no idea what someone had when they said they had a regal tang. Then I realized they had P. hepatus, which is called regal tang, blue tang, hepatus tang, palette tang, or God's knows what depending on what part of the United States you live in. I don't know what it's called in Toronto but in Quebec it's probably chirurgien bleu.

A. coeruleus is called the blue tang but it has a few other English common names that are used in other English speaking countries. It's called chirurgien bleu in Haiti but chirurgien bayolle in France. I have no idea what it's called in Quebec, probably chirurgien bleu, the same as what they call P. hepatus.

A. leucosternon is usually called the powder blue tang in English but it is also called the blue surgeonfish in some English-speaking countries. It has two French common names, chirurgien a poitrine blanche and chirurgien poudre.

At least I now know that a blue tang, a regal tang, a palette tang and a hepatus tang are all the same fish, provided they aren't talking about either of the other two blue tangs.