Buccinum
Encyclopedia
Buccinum is a genus of medium-sized sea snail
s with an operculum
, marine
gastropod mollusks in the family Buccinidae
, the true whelks.
Snails in this genus are commonly called whelk
s, a name that is however shared with several related and unrelated species. The common whelk Buccinum undatum is the most common representative of the genus in the northern Atlantic Ocean
.
s, each of which bear on a lobe at the base a very small eye. The mantle
forms a thin-edged flap over the branchial cavity. The long, annulated proboscis
of the mouth is cylindrical. The proboscis is armed with minute teeth. The radula
acts as a rasp. The foot is large and subelliptical.
The shell is ovate and elongated. The spire
is moderate and pointed. The aperture
is oval or oblong with a deep notch anteriorly. The columella is plain or callous. The outer lip is plain. The thin, horny operculum
is ovate and concentrically striate.
All animals are carnivore
s and scavenger
s, feeding on dead or damaged marine animals. They have the power of perforating molluscs and crustacea.
Snail
Snail is a common name applied to most of the members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells in the adult stage. When the word is used in its most general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. The word snail without any qualifier is however more often...
s with an operculum
Operculum (gastropod)
The operculum, meaning little lid, is a corneous or calcareous anatomical structure which exists in many groups of sea snails and freshwater snails, and also in a few groups of land snails...
, marine
Marine (ocean)
Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...
gastropod mollusks in the family Buccinidae
Buccinidae
Buccinidae is a very large and diverse taxonomic family of large sea snails, often known as whelks or true whelks.True whelks are mostly marine gastropod mollusks in the clade Neogastropoda...
, the true whelks.
Snails in this genus are commonly called whelk
Whelk
Whelk, also spelled welk or even "wilks", is a common name used to mean one or more kinds of sea snail. The species, genera and families referred to using this common name vary a great deal from one geographic area to another...
s, a name that is however shared with several related and unrelated species. The common whelk Buccinum undatum is the most common representative of the genus in the northern Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
.
Description
The soft body is elongated and spiral. It shows two tapering, depressed tentacleTentacle
A tentacle or bothrium is one of usually two or more elongated flexible organs present in animals, especially invertebrates. The term may also refer to the hairs of the leaves of some insectivorous plants. Usually, tentacles are used for feeding, feeling and grasping. Anatomically, they work like...
s, each of which bear on a lobe at the base a very small eye. The mantle
Mantle (mollusc)
The mantle is a significant part of the anatomy of molluscs: it is the dorsal body wall which covers the visceral mass and usually protrudes in the form of flaps well beyond the visceral mass itself.In many, but by no means all, species of molluscs, the epidermis of the mantle secretes...
forms a thin-edged flap over the branchial cavity. The long, annulated proboscis
Proboscis
A proboscis is an elongated appendage from the head of an animal, either a vertebrate or an invertebrate. In simpler terms, a proboscis is the straw-like mouth found in several varieties of species.-Etymology:...
of the mouth is cylindrical. The proboscis is armed with minute teeth. The radula
Radula
The radula is an anatomical structure that is used by molluscs for feeding, sometimes compared rather inaccurately to a tongue. It is a minutely toothed, chitinous ribbon, which is typically used for scraping or cutting food before the food enters the esophagus...
acts as a rasp. The foot is large and subelliptical.
The shell is ovate and elongated. The spire
Spire (mollusc)
A spire is a descriptive term for part of the coiled shell of mollusks. The word is a convenient aid in describing shells, but it does not refer to a very precise part of shell anatomy: the spire consists of all of the whorls except for the body whorl...
is moderate and pointed. The aperture
Aperture (mollusc)
The aperture is an opening in certain kinds of mollusc shells: it is the main opening of the shell, where part of the body of the animal emerges for locomotion, feeding, etc....
is oval or oblong with a deep notch anteriorly. The columella is plain or callous. The outer lip is plain. The thin, horny operculum
Operculum (gastropod)
The operculum, meaning little lid, is a corneous or calcareous anatomical structure which exists in many groups of sea snails and freshwater snails, and also in a few groups of land snails...
is ovate and concentrically striate.
All animals are carnivore
Carnivore
A carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of animal tissue, whether through predation or scavenging...
s and scavenger
Scavenger
Scavenging is both a carnivorous and herbivorous feeding behavior in which individual scavengers search out dead animal and dead plant biomass on which to feed. The eating of carrion from the same species is referred to as cannibalism. Scavengers play an important role in the ecosystem by...
s, feeding on dead or damaged marine animals. They have the power of perforating molluscs and crustacea.
Species
Species in the genus Buccinum include:- Buccinum abyssorumBuccinum abyssorumBuccinum abyssorum, common name the shingled whelk, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks....
A.E. VerrillAddison Emery VerrillAddison Emery Verrill was an American zoologist. He was a student of Louis Agassiz at Harvard University and graduated in 1862...
, 1884 - shingled whelk - Buccinum acuminulatum Golikov, 1980
- Buccinum acutispiratum Dall, 1907
- Buccinum aleuticum Dall, 1895 - Aleut whelk
- Buccinum amaliae Verkruzen, 1878
- Buccinum angulosumBuccinum angulosumBuccinum angulosum is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks....
J.E. Gray, 1839 - angular whelk- Buccinum angulosum angulosum J.E. Gray, 1838 - angular whelk, angular whelk
- Buccinum aniwanum Dall, 1907
- Buccinum araitonum Tiba, 1981
- Buccinum argillaceum Golikov & Gulbin, 1977
- Buccinum baeriBuccinum baeriBuccinum baeri, common name Baer's Buccinum, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks. The epithet is written by some authors as "baerii"-Description:...
(Middendorff, 1848)- Buccinum baerii baerii (Middendorff, 1848)
- Buccinum baerii polium Dall, 1907
- Buccinum bayani (Jousseaume, 1883)
- Buccinum belcheriBuccinum belcheriBuccinum belcheri is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks....
ReeveLovell Augustus ReeveLovell Augustus Reeve was an English conchologist.Lovell Augustus Reeve was initially apprenticed to a grocer of Ludgate Hill between 1827 and '34...
, 1855 - Buccinum bombycinum Dall, 1907
- Buccinum boucheti Tiba, 1984
- Buccinum bulimuloideum Dall, 1907
- Buccinum byssinum Tiba, 1983
- Buccinum castaneum Dall, 1877
- Buccinum chartium Dall, 1919
- Buccinum chishimananux Habe, T. & Ito, 1965
- Buccinum chishimanum PilsbryHenry Augustus PilsbryHenry Augustus Pilsbry was an American biologist, malacologist and carcinologist, among other areas of study. He was a dominant presence in many fields of invertebrate taxonomy for the better part of a century...
, 1904 - Buccinum ciliatumBuccinum ciliatumBuccinum ciliatum is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks.-Subspecies:* Buccinum ciliatum ciliatum Fabricius, 1780...
FabriciusJohan Christian FabriciusJohan Christian Fabricius was a Danish zoologist, specialising in "Insecta", which at that time included all arthropods: insects, arachnids, crustaceans and others...
, 1780 - Buccinum cnismatopleura Dall, 1919
- Buccinum cnismatum Dall, 1907
- Buccinum conoideumBuccinum conoideumBuccinum conoideum is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks....
G.O. Sars, 1878 - Buccinum coronatum Golikov, 1980
- Buccinum costatum Golikov, 1980
- Buccinum crebricostatum Lus, 1978
- Buccinum crenatum Golikov & Gulbin, 1977
- Buccinum cristatum Golikov & Sirenko, 1988
- Buccinum cyaneumBuccinum cyaneumBuccinum cyaneum is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks....
BruguiereJean Guillaume BruguièreJean Guillaume Bruguière was a French physician, zoologist and diplomat.Bruguière was born in Montpellier.He was a doctor, connected to the University of Montpellier. His was interested in invertebrates, mostly snails ....
, 1792 - bluish whelk- Buccinum cyaneum cyaneum BruguiereJean Guillaume BruguièreJean Guillaume Bruguière was a French physician, zoologist and diplomat.Bruguière was born in Montpellier.He was a doctor, connected to the University of Montpellier. His was interested in invertebrates, mostly snails ....
, 1792 - bluish whelk - Buccinum cyaneum patulum G.O. SarsGeorg SarsGeorg Ossian Sars was a Norwegian marine biologist.Georg Ossian Sars was born on April 20, 1837, in Kinn, Norway , the son of Michael Sars and Maren Sars; the historian Ernst Sars was his elder brother, and the singer Eva Nansen was his younger sister. He grew up in Manger, Hordaland, where his...
, 1878 - bluish whelk - Buccinum cyaneum perdix MörchOtto Andreas Lowson MörchOtto Andreas Lowson Mörch was a biologist, specifically a malacologist. He lived in Sweden, in Denmark, and in France.- Taxa described :Bibliography and taxa described by Otto Andreas Lowson Mörch include:...
, 1868 - bluish whelk
- Buccinum cyaneum cyaneum Bruguiere
- Buccinum denseplicatum Golikov, 1980
- Buccinum diplodetum Dall, 1907
- Buccinum eugrammatum Dall, 1907 - lirate whelk
- Buccinum ectomycina Dall, 1907
- Buccinum elatior (Tryon, 1880)
- Buccinum elegantum Golikov & Gulbin, 1977
- Buccinum epifragilum Tiba, 1983
- Buccinum epistomium Dall, 1907
- Buccinum eugrammatum Dall, 1907 - lirate whelk
- Buccinum felis Okutani, 1964
- Buccinum finmarkianumBuccinum finmarkianumBuccinum finmarkianum is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks....
Verkrüzen, 1875 - Buccinum flavidum Golikov, 1980
- Buccinum fragileBuccinum fragileBuccinum fragile is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks....
G. O. Sars, 1878 - Buccinum frausseniBuccinum frausseniBuccinum frausseni is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks....
Alexeyev & Gornichnykh, 2009 - Buccinum fringillum Dall, 1877 - finch whelk
- Buccinum frustulatumBuccinum frustulatumBuccinum frustulatum is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks....
Golikov, 1980 - Buccinum fukureum Habe & Ito, 1976
- Buccinum glacialeBuccinum glacialeBuccinum glaciale is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks.-Description:The size of the shell reaches 90 mm. The shell shows many sharp, spiral lines. The body whorl has two strong, wavy spiral bands. The color of the shell varies from mauve to...
Linnaeus, 1761 - glacial whelk - Buccinum gouldii A.E. VerrillAddison Emery VerrillAddison Emery Verrill was an American zoologist. He was a student of Louis Agassiz at Harvard University and graduated in 1862...
, 1882 : synonym of Buccinum cyaneum Bruguière, 1792 - Buccinum habui Tiba, 1984
- Buccinum hertzensteini Verkruzen, 1882
- Buccinum hosoyai Habe & Ito, 1965
- Buccinum humphreysiana BennettEdward Turner BennettEdward Turner Bennett was an English zoologist and writer. He was the elder brother of the botanist John Joseph Bennett. Bennett was born at Hackney and practiced as a surgeon, but his chief pursuit was always zoology...
, 1825 - Buccinum hydrophanumBuccinum hydrophanumBuccinum hydrophanum is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks....
Hancock, 1846 - Buccinum inclytum Pilsbry, 1904
- Buccinum inexhaustum Verkruzen, 1878 : synonym of Buccinum finmarkianum Verkrüzen, 1875
- Buccinum isaotakii Kira, 1962
- Buccinum japonicum A. Adams, 1861
- Buccinum kashimanum Okutani, 1964
- Buccinum kawamurai Habe & Ito, 1965
- Buccinum kinukatsugai Habe & Ito, 1968
- Buccinum kjennerudaeBuccinum kjennerudaeBuccinum kjennerudae is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks....
Bouchet & Warén, 1985 - Buccinum kobjakovae Golikov & Sirenko, 1988
- Buccinum kodiakense Dall, 1907 - kodiak whelk
- Buccinum koreana Choe, Yoon & Habe, 1992
- Buccinum koshikinum Okutani in Okutani, Tagawa & Horikawa, 1988
- Buccinum kurilensis Golikov & Sirenko, 1988
- Buccinum kushiroensis Habe & Ito, 1976
- Buccinum lamelliferum Lus, 1976
- Buccinum leucostomaBuccinum leucostomaBuccinum leucostoma, common name the yellow-mouth Buccinum, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks.-Description:The size of the shell of an adult varies between 55 mm and 120 mm...
Lischke, 1872 - Buccinum limnoideum Dall, 1907
- Buccinum lischkeanum Loebbecke, 1881
- Buccinum lyperumBuccinum lyperumBuccinum lyperum is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks. A few authors use the epithet "lyperium"-Description:The size of an adult shell varies between 51 mm and 75 mm.-Distribution:...
Dall, 1919 - Buccinum maehirai Tiba, 1980
- Buccinum maltzaniBuccinum maltzaniBuccinum maltzani is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks....
Pfeffer, 1886 - Buccinum microconcha Habe & Ito, 1965
- Buccinum micropomaBuccinum micropomaBuccinum micropoma is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks....
Thorson, 1944 - berry whelk - Buccinum middendorfii Verkruzen, 1882
- Buccinum midori Habe & ITO, 1965 : synonym of Buccinum oedematum Dall, 1907
- Buccinum mirandumBuccinum mirandumBuccinum mirandum is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks.There are two subspecies :* Buccinum mirandum mirandum Smith, 1875* Buccinum mirandum picturatum Dall, 1887-Description:...
Smith, 1875 - Buccinum miyauchii Azuma, 1972
- Buccinum moerchi Friele, 1877: synonym of Buccinum sericatum Hancock, 1846
- Buccinum morchianum Dunker, 1858
- Buccinum mysticum Shikama, 1963
- Buccinum nipponensis Dall, 1907
- Buccinum nivaleBuccinum nivaleBuccinum nivale is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks....
Friele, 1882 - Buccinum nodocostum Tiba, 1984
- Buccinum normale Dall, 1885
- Buccinum oblitumBuccinum oblitumBuccinum oblitum is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks.-Description:The shell is up to 20 mm high, solid, with 5-6 moderately convex whorls and a conical spire. The last whorl is about 70% of total height. Protoconch of one smooth, mucronate...
Sykes, 1911 - Buccinum ochotense (Middendorff, 1848) - Okhotsk whelk
- Buccinum oedematumBuccinum oedematumBuccinum oedematum, common name the swollen whelk, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks.-Distribution:This cold-water species occurs in the Gulf of Alaska. and in the Okhotsk Sea...
Dall, 1907 - swollen whelk, swollen whelk - Buccinum opisoplectum Dall, 1907
- Buccinum orotundum Dall, 1907
- Buccinum osagawai Habe & Ito, 1968
- Buccinum parvulumBuccinum parvulumBuccinum parvulum is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks....
Verkrüzen, 1875 - Buccinum pemphigus Dall, 1907
- Buccinum pemphigus major Dall, 1919
- Buccinum pemphigus orotundum Dall, 1907
- Buccinum pemphigus pemphigus Dall, 1907
- Buccinum percrassum Dall, 1883 - crude whelk
- Buccinum physematum Dall, 1919
- Buccinum picturatum Dall, 1877 - painted whelk
- Buccinum planeticum Dall, 1919 - wandering whelk
- Buccinum pilosum Golikov & Gulbin, 1977
- Buccinum plectrumBuccinum plectrumBuccinum plectrum is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks.-Description:The size of an adult shell varies between 50 mm and 100 mm.-Distribution:...
Stimpson, 1865 - sinuous whelk - Buccinum polareBuccinum polareBuccinum polare is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks....
J.E. Gray, 1839 - polar whelk - Buccinum polium Dall, 1907
- Buccinum pulchellumBuccinum pulchellumBuccinum pulchellum is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks....
G.O. Sars, 1878 - Buccinum rarusum Tiba, 1984
- Buccinum rhodium Dall, 1919
- Buccinum rondinum Dall, 1919
- Buccinum rossellinum Dall, 1919
- Buccinum rossicum Dall, 1907
- Buccinum rubiginosum Reeve, 1846
- Buccinum sagamianum Okutani, 1977
- Buccinum sakhalinense Dall, 1907
- Buccinum sandersoni A.E. VerrillAddison Emery VerrillAddison Emery Verrill was an American zoologist. He was a student of Louis Agassiz at Harvard University and graduated in 1862...
, 1882 : synonym of Buccinum fragile G. O. Sars, 1878 - Buccinum scalariformeBuccinum scalariformeBuccinum scalariforme is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks....
Moller, 1842 - ladder whelk - Buccinum schantaricum (Middendorff, 1848)
- Buccinum sericatum Hancock, 1846 - silky whelk : synonym of Buccinum ciliatum sericatum
- Buccinum shiretokoensis Habe & Ito, 1976
- Buccinum sigmatopleura Dall, 1907
- Buccinum simplex (Middendorff, 1848)
- Buccinum simulatum Dall, 1907
- Buccinum solenumBuccinum solenumBuccinum solenum is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks....
Dall, 1919 - Buccinum solidum Golikov & Sirenko, 1988
- Buccinum soyomaruae Okutani, 1977
- Buccinum striatellum Golikov, 1980
- Buccinum striatissimum G.B. Sowerby IIIGeorge Brettingham Sowerby IIIGeorge Brettingham Sowerby III was a British conchologist, publisher, and illustrator.He, too, worked on the Thesaurus Conchyliorium, a comprehensive, beautifully illustrated work on molluscs...
, 1899 - Buccinum strigillatumBuccinum strigillatumBuccinum strigillatum is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks.There are two subspecies :* Buccinum strigillatum fucanum Dall, 1907 - the juanmore whelk...
Dall, 1891 - Buccinum subreticulatum Habe & Ito, 1965
- Buccinum superangulareBuccinum superangulareBuccinum superangulare is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks....
Thorson & Oskarsson in Oskarsson, 1962 - Buccinum suzumai Habe & Ito, 1980
- Buccinum takagawai Habe & Ito, 1972
- Buccinum tanguaryi Baker, 1919
- Buccinum tenebrosum Hancock, 1846 : synonym of Buccinum cyaneum Bruguière, 1792
- Buccinum tenuissimum Kuroda in Teramachi, 1933
- Buccinum tenuisulcatum Golikov & Gulbin, 1977
- Buccinum terebriforme Habe & Ito, 1980
- Buccinum terraenovae (Beck in Mörch, 1869)
- Buccinum thermophilumBuccinum thermophilumBuccinum thermophilum is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks....
Harasewych & Kantor, 2002 - Buccinum totteni Stimpson, 1865 - thin whelk : synonym of Buccinum polare Gray, 1839
- Buccinum trecostatum Tiba, 1980
- Buccinum tsubaiBuccinum tsubaiBuccinum tsubai is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks. -Description:The size of an adult shell varies between 50 mm and 85 mm. This species has a thin shell with inflated whorls and an oval to oblong, wide aperture. Across the surface run a...
Kuroda, 1933 - Buccinum tumidulumBuccinum tumidulumBuccinum tumidulum is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks....
G.O. SarsGeorg SarsGeorg Ossian Sars was a Norwegian marine biologist.Georg Ossian Sars was born on April 20, 1837, in Kinn, Norway , the son of Michael Sars and Maren Sars; the historian Ernst Sars was his elder brother, and the singer Eva Nansen was his younger sister. He grew up in Manger, Hordaland, where his...
, 1878 - Buccinum tunicatum Golikov & Gulbin, 1977
- Buccinum undatumBuccinum undatumBuccinum undatum, known as the common whelk, is a large edible marine gastropod in the family Buccinidae, the "true whelks".-Distribution:...
Linnaeus, 1758 - waved whelk - Buccinum unuscarinatum Tiba, 1981
- Buccinum verkruzeni Kobelt, 1882
- Buccinum viridum Dall, 1889 - turban whelk, turban whelk
- Buccinum wakuii Ito & Habe, 1980
- Buccinum yokomaruae Yamashita & Habe, 1965
- Buccinum zelotes Dall, 1907