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Black Nerite

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.

Size

20 - 25 mm, can grow up to 31 mm.

Field Guide

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  • Species Category: Marine
  • Species origin: Native
  • Conservation status: Common
  • Did You Know?
    • Nerites are herbivores and scrape algae from the rock with a specialised rasping tongue called a radula

  • What to Observe

    Search area for 30 minutes and record the following:

    • Abundant: found easily with little searching

    • Frequent: found with minimal searching

    • Rare: only 1 or 2 individuals found with intensive searching

    • 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).
  • Trails: Bellarine Peninsula - Barwon Coast & Ocean Grove Nature Reserve VIC, Cape Conran VIC, Killalea State Park NSW, Ricketts Point VIC
  • Species Region: Australia