Cerithium atratum

Identification: long, spiral, spire-shaped shell up to 5 cm in the wild; trade specimens are described as dark or black with tiny white and green spots (Quality Marine). WoRMS includes the "Florida cerith" under this name (Cerithium floridanum is a synonym). Sellers often name only the genus (Cerithium sp.): LiveAquaria lists ceriths from the Caribbean and the Mexican eastern Pacific, which covers species other than C. atratum.

In the wild it lives from the intertidal zone down to 91 m, on inshore and offshore reefs and in mangroves, on coral, mud, rock, sand and seagrass, from North Carolina to Brazil.

Reproduction: in aquariums, LiveAquaria describes night-time egg strings on the glass, laid in long curls, often eaten or removed by filtration before they hatch. Breeding is considered extremely difficult: the sexes look alike and the required conditions are unknown.