Spotted Nerite Larva
Vittina natalensis (veliger larva)
A microscopic free-swimming larva that drifts in brackish to marine water after hatching from eggs laid by adults. It beats a ciliated velum to swim and gather tiny planktonic food particles. Its first delicate shell is already forming, and it can withdraw its soft parts when disturbed. This drifting stage is a key reason captive freshwater nerites rarely produce surviving young without saltier water.
- Type
- Shell
- Conservation status
- NT
Growth chain
- Spotted Nerite Larva
- Spotted Nerite Juvenile
- Spotted Nerite