[Vagabond324]

I found this crawling in my Citronell's Viv tonight, no idea what the heck it is. It can ball up, stretch out, lift it's head high and leaves a trail. Does not look like any slug I have ever seen before, any one have an idea what it is? About 3/8"-1/2" long

 

[Mitch]

Creepy... looks like a leech?! I doubt it is though...

 

[jckee1]

It could be a leech. Maybe came in on a plant you purchased?

 

[Vagabond324]

I was thinking a leech as I remember them well from 1968 but that was another part of the world and they were much bigger, Can you say Ugg!.

 

[Ed]

Nemertean. Nemertea - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nemerteans


Search nemertean using the search function there has been a lot of discussion on them. If they are established in the enclosure, then you are going to have issues with microfauna populations and they even predate on fruit flies.

 

[Pumilo]

Nemertean. Nemertea - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nemerteans


Search nemertean using the search function there has been a lot of discussion on them. If they are established in the enclosure, then you are going to have issues with microfauna populations and they even predate on fruit flies.

Uh-Oh! Time to break out the CO2 bomb!

 

[marylanddartfrog]

Its a leech

 

[stemcellular]

Nemertean. Nemertea - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nemerteans


Search nemertean using the search function there has been a lot of discussion on them. If they are established in the enclosure, then you are going to have issues with microfauna populations and they even predate on fruit flies.

Isopods will take care of them.

 

[JimO]

Do the frogs eat them?

 

[Ed]

Isopods will take care of them.

I was under the impression that only one of the really large isopods helped with control and didn't eliminate them. (see Alan Cann's link in my post above). The smaller isopods don't seem to do anything except get eaten by the nemerteans.

Ed

 

[Ed]

Do the frogs eat them?

No, and a number of the nemerteans are known to produce tetrodotoxins in conjunction with symbiotic bacteria.

 

[Azurel]

How about Oranges? I swear I have seen them go on the attack and eat fruit flies.....I didn't get a video though....So I have no proof. I found something like this the other day it was buried in the substrate and I only could find one....Which I am pretty sure there is more if I found one.

I was under the impression that only one of the really large isopods helped with control and didn't eliminate them. (see Alan Cann link in my post above). The smaller isopods don't seem to do anything except get eaten by the nemerteans.

Ed

 

[stemcellular]

All I can say is that in tanks that once had a few nemerteans the introduction of isopods led to the disaapearence of them and a surge in the number of isopods. May have been other factors as well.

 

[Mitch]

The nemerteans in my tank look very different from that one. Mine are pink and about 1 inch.

 

[hypostatic]

That looks an awful lot like a leech. Stretch it out and see if you can see repeating ridges. If it does then I think its good evidence that it might be a leech.

In other posts the nemertarians always looked white, though I suppose there's no reason why different species can't have different coloration...

 

[Ed]

That looks an awful lot like a leech. Stretch it out and see if you can see repeating ridges. If it does then I think its good evidence that it might be a leech.

In other posts the nemertarians always looked white, though I suppose there's no reason why different species can't have different coloration...

It's not a leech or a terrestrial flatworm. It is a nemertean, they do move in that manner and they do come in different colors.

Ed

 

[Ed]

All I can say is that in tanks that once had a few nemerteans the introduction of isopods led to the disaapearence of them and a surge in the number of isopods. May have been other factors as well.

What kind(s) of isopods did you add? I know other people that tried the various dwarf and the isopods disappeared and the nemertean population kept increasing. Prey is speared, paralyzed with toxins and digestive enzymes and then fed on..


Ed

 

[Ed]

How about Oranges? I swear I have seen them go on the attack and eat fruit flies.....I didn't get a video though....So I have no proof. I found something like this the other day it was buried in the substrate and I only could find one....Which I am pretty sure there is more if I found one.

Check out the link to Alan Cann's site. Oranges are I think a color variation of Porcellio scaber and are not as large as the ones he had luck with...

Ed

 

[stu&shaz]

We have seen these also,but as per the photos on Alans site,we also have a large heavily stocked culture of O.asellus,i recognise it instantly,some of our vivs have silly no.s of the dwarf white,wood louce but i will have to try and work out if these also have the N.'s.If we heavily loaded our "infected" vivs, with onicellus are there any observations to suggest they would compete with the dwarf white.My intention was to feed the young onicellus to the frogs,as a stopgap/variation to the dwarf whites,coupled with the giant O. and a fast moving little iso that i am told comes from peru.
Apologies if this is slightly left field of the original Q. but i am sure many would not want to wipe out the dwarf white in favour of onicellus,which,from Alan's report does not do well in vivs,ha that is if one has both a good stock of D.W. and N.'s
thanks
Stu

 

[jkooiman]

That looks an awful lot like a leech. Stretch it out and see if you can see repeating ridges. If it does then I think its good evidence that it might be a leech.

In other posts the nemertarians always looked white, though I suppose there's no reason why different species can't have different coloration...

My "little buddies" are tan..with black markings... Quite an attractive "morph". JVK