Belongkeng
snail
Ellobium sp.
Family Ellobiidae
updated
Jul 2020
Where
seen? This large snail is sometimes seen in our back mangroves.
Sometimes, their empty shells are washed ashore on beaches near mangroves.
It breathes
air (instead of through gills like most other marine snails). Elsewhere, they are also found in Nipah
palm groves.
Features: 4-9cm. Shell thick and
oval or elongated, plain brown. White at the shell opening. The
animal is large with a fleshy pale body and short tentacles, some with
pretty white patterns. |
Pasir Ris,
Aug 09 |
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What does it eat? It grazes on
algae growing on mangrove trees and on the ground.
Human uses: Traditionally collected
as food by Indonesian coastal dwellers.
Status and threats: The Mangrove
land snail (Ellobium scheepmakeri) is listed as 'Critically
Endangered' on the list of threatened animals of Singapore due to
habitat loss. |
Pulau Semakau,
Feb 09 |
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| Belongkeng
snails on Singapore shores |
| Other sightings on Singapore shores |
Chek Jawa,
Dec 12
Photo shared by Loh Kok Sheng on flickr. |
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Links
References
- Tan Siong
Kiat and Henrietta P. M. Woo, 2010 Preliminary
Checklist of The Molluscs of Singapore (pdf), Raffles
Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore.
- S. K.
Tan, S. H. Tan and M. E. Y. Low. On Ellobium
aurismalchi (Muller, 1774) (Mollusca: Ellobiidae). Nature in Singapore 2009 2: 357–359.
- Tan, K. S.
& L. M. Chou, 2000. A
Guide to the Common Seashells of Singapore. Singapore
Science Centre. 160 pp.
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