Are pond snails assassins as well?

[Yany]

I was wondering as we collected quite a few specimens.... my boys and I. Here I was thinking... food for my assassins

I added one small one into the tank but the assassins did not even touch it! The shape and make-up of the snails is very similar to the assassin. Here's a picture of what we collected yesterday. Anyone care to comment?

Attachment 27782 Attachment 27781

[stormhawk]

Perhaps the snails that you collected are not identified as prey animals for the Assassin Snail. I don't know where you collected these but they might be members of the same genus as the Assassin Snail.

[Yany]

Hi Stormhawk,

Thanks for your comments. I suspect the same as well. Since you are at Bt Batok, perhaps you know where too!!
Its the Bt Batok Nature Reserve/park

[stormhawk]

Haha so that's where you found these. The lake is alkaline I believe. I caught young glassfish before by the grass edge near a small stream leading out of the lake. There's plenty of MTS there though if the snails you collected have a proboscis much like the Assassin Snail, then perhaps they are related species. There's a form of Assassin Snail from Malaysia, which looks different from the one we get in the LFS, which is the Thai variant. Same species but different shell pattern.

If you need an ID on the snails, asking the researchers at NUS might be helpful.

[Yany]

Yes... there's where I caught the croaking gourami as well. The pond goby was at the stream so it was easy to scoop. My son however, was more interested in snails and got a whole lot. I guess I must make another trip and set them all free... LOL. Most of them have a proboscis and have ridges on the shell... much like the assassins but not as attractive. Ah well... so now I know.

I've never come across glass fish before ... so might give a lookout for those!! woohoo.... have to choose a day when there's not many people there

[stormhawk]

The goby is probably Stigmatogobius poecilosoma. I found these in abundance in a pond at the Chinese Gardens. Did not see them at BBNP the last time I went there, which was more than 10 years ago.

The glassfish is easily found near the grasses. The young fish hide among them. Some of the snails you found could be Faunus ater, which are related to the Rabbit Snails, since they are from the family Pachychilidae.

[Yany]

I used to catch them back in M'sia when I was little. The goby which are similar looking are about 3-4 inches long. I wonder if these can grow as much.

Anyway, I convinced the boys that we are returning all the snails and fishes back to the pond. We had fun catching them but its time they return back to their natural home, so with sad goodbyes, the little creatures would be set free tomorrow