This page links to species in the family Eulimidae that are known from Kwajalein. Most or probably even all eulimids are parasites on Echinoderms, with certain species on seastars, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, brittle stars, and even crinoids. The family contains many species, and there are numerous genera. Warén in Poppe (2008) notes that all species in each of the various genera seem to associate with the same class of Echinoderm; for example, all Melanella parasitize sea cucumbers, all Annulobascis are on crinoids, and so on. However, it is difficult to find in the literature or on websites information on which hosts a particular Eulimid species lives. Since most of the species have been scientifically described solely from their shells, and the shells of most species are either white or transparent--any color you see is usually on the animal living within the shell--they tend to be difficult to positively identify. Consequently, most of these are listed with a guess for the genus and a species number. Many are just tossed into the common genus Melanella, although some of those are likely to belong to defferent genera. The best way to find most species is to closely examine the host; shells are common, for example, with their anterior ends bored into the thick skin of some sea cucumbers. A few species can be found under rocks; after feeding on their host, they drop off and hide while digesting, and find another host when they get hungry. Therefore, when some species are found, it is not easy to determine the host. Eulimids have extremely smooth, slippery shells that are very difficult for a shell-cracking predator, such as a fish or crab, to grasp and break, as the teeth or claws tend to slide right off. They can even be hard for human fingers to pick up. (Click on a thumbnail for pages with larger images.)
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