unknown predator

[czieler]

Can someone tell me what these are? They are hard..not soft...we had a batch of zoos come in..that appear to be infested with them. They are in QT while we pick them off..they appear to be feeding on them though..

They are small..between 1 and 2 cm.

 

[czieler]

I haven't seen them moving...they appear to just have one of those little spikes stuck into a zoanthid...I've seen a few really tiny ones..like they were babies... we picked them all off as soon as we saw them... we waited a few days and found some more...

I can tap them with a fingernail and it clicks...similar consistency of a shell I guess...

 

[jonbar1]

Can't say I've ever seen anything like that! Could they be an egg case of something?

Jon

 

[czieler]

Hmm...I don't know..I haven't really seen anything else except a couple of sundials that we picked off... and there are so many of these...I'd think we'd have seen it..but I could be wrong.

they are definitely weird... one of our business partners has had a LFS for 5+ yrs..and has never seen them either..

They remind me of Shrek's ears..heh.

 

[jessiesgrrl]

That's freaky! You should submit a pic to zoaid for the predator folder..

Laurie

 

[czieler]

I didn't even think of that..thanks!

 

[Azurel]

I have been doing this for 22 years and have never seen that before.....I would try to get ahold of Dr. Ron Sheimk or Bob Fenner over at wetwebmedia.com.....Or sacrifice a frag of zoas and study them for awhile.....See what happens.

 

[czieler]

We could probably mail some of these things to them... we took them out of the water..had them sitting there for a week..and they didn't deteriorate...I'll check w/ my business partner tomorrow to make sure he doesn't toss them out (if he didn't already) in case some place wants to look at them further...

 

[Azurel]

To bad you didn't have any still alive....You might have found something very odd and new to the hobby....

 

[czieler]

They are still in QT ( the zoanthids ) ... he pulled more off today...

I will tell him if he finds another to break a the piece of that rock of w/ the zoanthid... they have a small one gallon mantis shrimp tank they could keep it in temporarily...so as not to let them spread (since we are trying to get rid of them)

I'll email the wetwebmedia guys in the A.M. and see if they have any ideas what they are.

 

[da6d2003]

Looks like something from pokemon

 

[revhtree]

I have had them on colonies that came in from the solomon islands. They would be attached to the polyps and you could tell they were feasting on them. They would stick to the colony and you would have to pull to get them loose. I havent seen any in about a year though. I dont think they multiply good.

 

[The Fragmaster]

When they dried out were they rough to the touch like a starfish, or rubbery like a tunicate?
Get a pic of the underside of one of them if you can that will help EMENSELY.

 

[Mr. Ugly]

Yah, what Rev said.

Haven't seen them myself, but heard that they are showing up in SI zoas lately. Some kind of predatory starfish. You can find them under the zoa mat too.

 

[czieler]

They look like that on all sides...basically spherical with those spikes sticking out randomly.

They stayed the same color and consistency after being out of the water.

 

[The Fragmaster]

EEEEwwwww. under the mat now huh?
That sucks !
One more freaking thing to worry about killing off my stock and bankrupting me LOL! ( when I get set up that is LOL!!! )


No mouth or tenticles like a star on the bottom?
What exactly was the texture they remained?

Hmm Perplexing... ( yeah thats right ! I learned a new word today !! )

 

[The Fragmaster]

I just saved your pic and sent it to Eric Borenman for identification.
He's a prety sharp guy I bet he will have the ID.

 

[jessiesgrrl]

Ohhhh Eric...

:swoon:

LOL
Laurie

 

[maroonytunes]

LOL Laurie.

 

[Reef Gardener]

I did see someone else post a pic of these things, I think on RC they were trying to figure out what they were as well. And they were pulled off of Zoanthids too.