Breeding the Black Devil Snail (Faunus ater)

Faunus ater, the black devil snail, lives in brackish-influenced rivers and is oviparous with probable free-swimming larvae. It is not reliably bred in freshwater home tanks; this guide explains why.

Overview

The black devil snail, listed here under the trade name applied to Faunus ater, is an elongate, jet-black grazing snail in the family Pachychilidae. It is notable as the only pachychilid that lives in slightly brackish water, while all other members of the family are freshwater snails; it has also been reported from freshwater. It occurs widely across South and Southeast Asia and the Pacific, from India and Sri Lanka through Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines to northern Australia and Pacific islands.

In the aquarium it is valued as a strong algae and biofilm grazer that does not damage live plants. The latin name on the record is recorded verbatim as Faunus ater.

Reproduction & Young

Faunus ater is oviparous and probably has free-swimming larvae. Because the species is tied to brackish-influenced estuarine and river habitats, its larval stage is not supported by the conditions of a standard freshwater aquarium. As a result, the species is not reliably bred in freshwater home tanks, and the elongate shells seen for sale are wild-collected rather than home-reared.

Common Challenges

The combination of egg-laying with free-swimming larvae and a brackish-water association makes home reproduction impractical; freshwater conditions do not carry the larvae through development. Maintain hard, alkaline, well-oxygenated water for the adults and keep them away from snail predators such as loaches and pufferfish.