Spekia zonata
Scientific name: Spekia zonata (Woodward 1859)
Common name: Tanganyika nerita
Origin: Africa, endemic to lake Tanganyika; the specimens were collected at Gitwe II (Km 20 South of Bujumbura, near Gakora), in Burundi.
Familly: Pleuroceridae
Sub-familly: paramelaniinae
Sub-class: Streptoneura / prosobranchia
Size: 1 cm
Breething: aquatic, through gills
Temperature: presently maintained at 19°C. the temperature at collection site is of 23 à 26°C, decreasing to 3 - 5°C at the depth of 10 metres.
Utility: eats the algae that encrust on the front face of the aquarium.
Remark: particularly appreciates solid surfaces, never goes to the substrate. The collection site is a rocky shore. This species is present from a depth of 20 cm to 2 metres.
 |
Feeding
on the front face of the aquarium.
Note the radula, the reduced size of the foot which doesn't outsize the shell and the small antennae. All these elements apparently indicate a systematic defensive posture. |
This prosobranch exclusively lives on the solid elements of the substrate. Movement is very slow. Concerning its feeding habits, it doesn't take any interest on superior algae such as cladophora, it neglects plants and cadavers. Food proposed by the aquarium trade is also neglected.
This gastropod is extremely specialized, the presence of appropriate food is an essenial factor for its maintenance.