Black Nerite Lydia Borg

Black Nerite

Did You Know?

  • Nerites are herbivores and scrape algae from the rock with a specialised rasping tongue called a radula
FactBox Image

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

Improve your identification skills. Download your Black Nerite field guide here!

Species: WhatToObserve Image

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

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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
Species: WhatElse Image

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).