Anentome helena
Anentome helena, common name assassin snail or bumblebee snail, is a species of freshwater snail with an operculum, an aquatic gastropod in the family Nassariidae, most of which are marine.
Distribution
The assassin snail is found throughout southeast Asia, especially in Malaysia, Thailand, and in Lake Toba on the Indonesian island Sumatra.Description
The assassin snail typically grows to in size, though this is dependent on food sources; they are usually smaller when kept in an aquarium. The shell, which is conical in shape, often consists of dark brown and yellowish tan bands, leading to some people to refer to it as the bumble bee snail, a name also applied to the marine snail Engina mendicaria. Some specimens have been identified with completely brown shells, lacking banding.Ecology
Habitat
The assassin snail spends much of its time buried in substrate. They are least active during mid-day; however, they can sense food and will become active if fed.Feeding habits
Like all snails in the clade Neogastropoda, the assassin snail is carnivorous. It feeds on worms and gastropods, garnering it the common moniker of "assassin snail" for its habit of eating other snails. The snail will often feed on larger snails, often burying itself in order to ambush prey.Anentome helena may be a serious threat to native freshwater gastropods in countries when introduced.