Size
20 - 25 mm, can grow up to 31 mm.
Field Guide
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Black Nerite
Did You Know?
- Nerites are herbivores and scrape algae from the rock with a specialised rasping tongue called a radula
A type of marine snail (mollusc) with a distinctive round or globe-shaped shell, black or dark grey in colour. The older snails will sometime have a white patch at the flattened tip (apex) of the spirals (whorls) due to weathering.
Nerites have a white aperture (where the snail comes out) with a black rim and they usually have a black operculum (shell door or lid) which is sometimes spotted orange.
What to Observe
Search area for 30 minutes and record the following:
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Abundant: found easily with little searching
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Frequent: found with minimal searching
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Rare: only 1 or 2 individuals found with intensive searching
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Not found: not present during search
When and Where
When To Look
- Throughout the year
Where To Look
- North West Cape of Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, NSW and up to Yeppoon in Queensland
- Also on the North Island of New Zealand
- Common on rocky shores, from mid to high tide levels and estuaries among mangroves
- Found on edges of rock pools and in crevices
What Else?
Similar Species
Ribbed Nerite (Nerita costata) which occurs in Queensland and southern NSW. It has 12-15 ribs that swirl up to the flattened apex of the shell and a grey or green operculum (shell door or lid).
