This
attractive, about 6 cm long snail currently reached us from Indonesia.
It is a relative of the well known Malayian trumpet snail. In the wild
this animal occurs in the lowest reaches of rivers on muddy bottoms and
is thus very tolerant against salt. So it is possible to keep it in
freshwater tanks as well as in brackish water aquaria.
In
contrast to the Malayan trumpet snail, which is a livebearing species,
Faunus ater is an egglayer. The larvae can develop in marine environment
only, so it is impossible that an unwanted proliferation occurs in the
tank. Males and females cannot be distinguished by external features. In
nature, these snails feed probably on silt and mud. They do not work as
algae-eaters, but need detritus and similar material for food.
For our customers: the snails have code 483638 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.
Lexikon:
Faunus: a Roman god, patron of farming and livestock; corresponding to
the Greek Pan. It is not known, why this generic name was chosen. ater:
Latin, means “black”.
Suggestion of a common name: Cappucino snail
Text & photos: Frank Schäfer
