(Lepsiella scobina).

Although less than an inch in height, this shellfish plays havoc with local oyster beds. The animal uses its teeth (radula) to drill holes through the oyster's shell and then extracts the oyster piecemeal. It takes 45 minutes or less for one of these tiny shellfish to pierce the thick shell of an oyster.

by Arthur William Baden Powell, Assistant Director, Auckland Institute and Museum.