Astraea Snail (Lithopoma tectum): Breeding Notes

Lithopoma tectum (Astraea tecta) is a Caribbean star/turban snail and algae grazer. Turbinids are broadcast spawners with separate sexes and non-feeding planktonic veligers, so it is not bred in home reef tanks.

Overview

Lithopoma tectum (formerly Astraea tecta), the West Indian star snail, is a turban snail of the family Turbinidae from the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, the Lesser Antilles and off Brazil. Its shell reaches up to 63 mm and it occurs from 0 to about 10 m depth, grazing film and hair algae from hard surfaces.

Sexing

Turbinid star snails have separate sexes with no reliable external differences; sex is apparent only when gametes are released during spawning.

Spawning & Eggs/Larvae

Fertilization is external. Eggs develop through a trochophore into a non-feeding (lecithotrophic) veliger that swims in the plankton for only about three to five days before settling; no trochoidean veligers are known to feed. This short pelagic phase is characteristic of tropical turbinids.

Common Challenges

Even with a brief larval window, the planktonic veligers are removed by filtration, flow and predators in a typical reef tank, so populations cannot sustain themselves without a dedicated rearing system.