Neritina natalensis | |
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Conservation status | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Mollusca |
Class: | Gastropoda |
(unranked): | clade Neritimorpha clade Cycloneritimorpha |
Superfamily: | Neritoidea |
Family: | Neritidae |
Subfamily: | Neritininae |
Tribe: | Neritinini |
Genus: | Neritina |
Species: | N. natalensis |
Binomial name | |
Neritina natalensis Reeve, L.A., 1845 |
Neritina natalensis is a species of small freshwater snail with an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Neritidae, the nerites.
This is a popular aquarium snail, sold because it looks attractive and eats algae in freshwater tanks.
This species occurs in Africa: in Kenya, Mozambique, Somalia, South Africa, and Tanzania.[1]
This species is a common choice of algae-eating snail among freshwater aquarists. In the aquarium trade, the striped shell of this species has caused it to be known as the Tiger Snail, Zebra Snail, or Zebra Nerite. The name zebra nerite is misleading because there are several species of nerite that have that as a common name, including Puperita pupa, a small marine nerite from the tropical Western Atlantic.)
In an aquarium, the shell of this species grows to about 2.5 cm (one inch) in diameter. This snail prefers an aquarium temperature of 22 to 26°C. The snail will venture to the top of the aquarium, and come out of the water from time to time.