Bleeding Tooth Nerite (Nerita peloronta) Care Guide
Nerita peloronta is a Caribbean intertidal nerite named for the red 'tooth' on its aperture, kept in marine tanks as an algae grazer.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Nerita peloronta is a marine gastropod in the family Neritidae, described by Linnaeus in 1758. Its common name, the bleeding tooth nerite, derives from a red area beside the tooth-like columellar edge that resembles bleeding. It is grazed algae in marine aquaria.
Taxonomy
- Family: Neritidae
- Genus: Nerita
- Scientific name: Nerita peloronta
- Authority: Linnaeus, 1758
Habitat
The species occurs in the West Indies, west Florida, Bermuda and the wider Caribbean. It lives in intertidal splash zones on rocky shorelines exposed to regular wave action.
Description
The thick, short-spired shell reaches about 5 cm with slightly raised spiral ridges. Its base colour is yellow, reddish or creamy with darker streaks or zigzags. The operculum is dark red with a granulated inner surface, and the distinctive red colour next to the columellar teeth gives the species its name.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 60 L
- Temperature: 24-26 °C (75-79 °F)
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- Specific gravity: 1.024-1.026
- Carbonate hardness (dKH): 8-12
- Lifespan: 2-5 years
Diet
As a nerite it is a herbivorous grazer, feeding continuously on film algae and biofilm on rock and glass. Supplemental algae help maintain it in tanks with limited natural growth.
Compatibility
The bleeding tooth nerite is peaceful and reef-safe, compatible with most reef fish and corals. Triggerfish and pufferfish should be avoided as they prey on snails.
Breeding
Like other nerites, it reproduces via a planktonic larval stage requiring saltwater, so home-aquarium breeding is impractical.
Breeding the Bleeding Tooth Nerite (Nerita peloronta)
Overview
Nerita peloronta Linnaeus, 1758, the bleeding tooth nerite, is a marine snail of the family Neritidae from the West Indies, the Caribbean, western Florida and Bermuda. The shell reaches about 5 cm and carries an area of red coloration beside the columellar 'teeth', the feature behind its common name; the operculum is dark red and granulated. It lives in intertidal splash zones on rocky shores and is kept as an algae grazer.
Sexing
Like other nerites, Nerita peloronta has separate sexes that cannot be distinguished externally. Fertilization is internal after copulation, but the red aperture mark and shell pattern give no indication of sex, so deliberate pairing is not feasible.
Spawning & Larvae
Females deposit flattened egg capsules on hard rocky substrate, each holding several eggs. The eggs hatch into planktonic veliger larvae that feed in the water column; nerite larvae may remain in the plankton for an extended period, dispersing widely before settling and metamorphosing into juveniles.
Common Challenges
- Egg capsules can be deposited in a tank, but planktotrophic veligers do not mature in closed water.
- The extended planktonic phase cannot be sustained inside an aquarium.
- Skimmers, filters and pumps remove the tiny larvae, which also require plankton-grade food.
- As a splash-zone intertidal animal, it experiences emersion in nature that home tanks do not replicate.