Whelk
A lightning whelk shell found on a Gulf of Mexico beach in Louisiana.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Mollusca Class: Gastropoda Subclass: Orthogastropoda Superorder: Caenogastropoda Order: Sorbeoconcha Suborder: Hypsogastropoda Infraorder: Neogastropoda
Families
See text. Molluscs are animals belonging to the phylum Mollusca. There are around 250000 extant Species within the phylum with an estimated 70000 The class Gastropoda or the gastropods, also previously known as gasteropods, or univalves, and more commonly known as Snails Orthogastropoda is one of two major Taxonomic groupings of snails and slugs an extremely large Subclass within the huge class Gastropoda. Caenogastropoda is a very large Taxonomic group a Superorder of saltwater (and in a minor way freshwater snails ( aquatic and marine Sorbeoconcha is a very large Taxonomic order of Snails (mostly sea snails with gills and often with an operculum) According to one version of the taxonomy, Hypsogastropoda is a Suborder of sea snails marine Gastropod Mollusks in The Neogastropoda was for many years an order of sea Snails marine Gastropod Mollusks In the current version of gastropod taxonomy Family denotes a group of People affiliated by consanguinity affinity or co-residence

A whelk is a large marine gastropod found in temperate waters.

In English, the common name whelk refers to several very different kinds of large, usually edible Busycon snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Melongenidae. Busycon is a Genus of very large edible sea Snails marine Gastropod Molluscs in the family Melongenidae The word snail is a Common name that can be used for almost all members of the Molluscan class Gastropoda which have coiled shells in the 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 The class Gastropoda or the gastropods, also previously known as gasteropods, or univalves, and more commonly known as Snails Molluscs are animals belonging to the phylum Mollusca. There are around 250000 extant Species within the phylum with an estimated 70000 Melongenidae, the crown Conchs and busycon Whelks, are a Taxonomic family of large to very large sea

For information about the common European and northern Atlantic whelk, please see respectively Haustellum brandaris and Buccinum undatum. Haustellum brandaris, also known as Bolinus brandaris or Murex brandaris, and commonly known as the purple dye murex Buccinum undatum or the common whelk, is a large colder-water edible sea Snail, a marine Gastropod Mollusc in the

For information on other kinds of whelks, please see the name of the taxonomic family to which they belong; see below. Taxonomy is the practice and science of classification The word comes from the Greek, taxis (meaning 'order' 'arrangement' and, nomos

Other sea snails called whelks

In English, "whelk" refers to various kinds of large (often edible) sea snails, but it is important to note that even though the same or similar common names are used for all of these sea snails, the various different kinds of snail are often not at all closely related to one another. Some of these gastropods are so distantly related that they are not even in the same superorder as others. This article is about the taxonomic rank for the sequence of species in a taxonomic list see Taxonomic order In scientific classification used

In the British Isles and the Netherlands, where the word "whelk" seems to have originated, the word means Buccinum undatum and several related species in the family Buccinidae. The British Isles (Irish variously Na hOileáin Bhriotanacha, Oileáin Iarthair Eorpa, Éire agus an Bhreatain Mhór; Ellanyn Goaldagh Eileanan The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Buccinum undatum or the common whelk, is a large colder-water edible sea Snail, a marine Gastropod Mollusc in the Buccinidae is a Taxonomic family of large sea Snails often known as whelks or true whelks to distinguish them from the

In some islands in the Caribbean, such as Saint Kitts and Nevis, the name whelks or "wilks" is used for a large edible top shell, Cittarium pica, also known as the magpie, or West Indian top shell, which is in the family Trochidae. The Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis (also known as the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis) located in the Leeward Islands, is a federal two-island The Trochidae, Common name top snails, are a Taxonomic family of very small to large sea Snails marine Gastropod

In the USA, a problematic introduced species is known as "Veined rapa whelk" or "Asian rapa whelk" (Rapana venosa). The veined rapa whelk, Rapana venosa, is a Species of large Predatory sea Snail, a marine Gastropod Mollusk This species is in the family Muricidae, the murexes. Muricidae, Common names murex snails or rock snails, is a large and varied Taxonomic family of small to large Predatory

In Australia and New Zealand, species of the genus Cabestana in the family Ranellidae are called predatory whelks. Cabestana is a Genus of medium-sized to large Predatory sea Snails marine Gastropod Molluscs in the family Ranellidae, Common name the triton shells or tritons, is a Taxonomic family of small to very large

Shell description for Busycon whelks

Like other mollusks, whelks have a mantle, a thin layer of tissue located between the body and the shell that creates the shell. Molluscs are animals belonging to the phylum Mollusca. There are around 250000 extant Species within the phylum with an estimated 70000 The mantle is an important part of the anatomy of Molluscs It is the dorsal body wall which covers the visceral mass Whelks build their hard shells from the calcium carbonate they extract from seawater. Calcium carbonate is a Chemical compound with the Chemical formula Ca[[Carbon C]] O 3 The shells can grow up to 16 inches (40 cm) long.

A channeled whelk (left) and a lightning whelk.

Whelk shells are generally light grey to tan, often having brown and white streaks. The shells have a long siphonal canal, and most species coil dextrally (right-handed, or in a clockwise direction). In some sea Snails ( marine Gastropod Molluscs in the Infraorder Neogastropoda) the animal has an anterior extension of the The lightning whelk, Busycon perversum, native to the waters of the southeastern United States and the Gulf of Mexico, is unusual among gastropods in that it normally produces a sinistral (left-handed) shell. The lightning whelk, Busycon perversum, is an edible Species of very large Predatory sea Snail or Whelk, a marine The Gulf of Mexico ( Spanish: Golfo de México) is the ninth largest Body of water in the world The shell shape of individual specimens may vary widely in both coloration and sculpture.

Life habits of Busycon whelks

commercial
molluscs
abalone
clams
cockles
periwinkle
mussels
oysters
scallops
whelk
cuttlefish
octopus
squid
fishing industry
fisheries
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Busycon whelks are found in temperate waters. Commercial fishing, also known as industrial fishing, is the activity of capturing Fish and other Seafood for commercial Profit, mostly Shellfish is a Culinary and Fisheries term for those aquatic Invertebrate animals that are used as Food: various species of molluscs Abalone (from Spanish Abulón) are medium-sized to very large edible sea Snails marine Gastropod Mollusks in the Clam is a word which can be used for all some or only a few Species of Bivalve Mollusks the word is a Common name which has Cockle is the common name for edible Bivalve Mollusks of the family Cardiidae. "Winkle" redirects here For the contract bridge play see Winkle squeeze. The common name mussel is used for members of several different families of Clams or Bivalve Molluscs, from both saltwater and freshwater habitats The common name oyster is used for a number of different groups of Bivalve Mollusks most of which live in marine habitats or Brackish water. A scallop (ˈskɒləp or /ˈskæləp/ is a marine Bivalve Mollusk of the family Pectinidae. A whelk is one of several Species of large sea Snails marine Gastropod Mollusks found in temperate waters Cuttlefish are marine animals of the order Sepiida belonging to the Cephalopoda class (which also includes Squid, Octopuses The Squid are marine Cephalopods of the order Teuthida, which comprises around 300 species The fishing industry includes any industry or activity concerned with taking culturing processing preserving storing transporting marketing or selling fish or fish products For the fishing industry and the practice of fishing see Fishing. They are scavengers and carnivores, equipped with an extensible proboscis that is tipped with a file-like radula. Scavenging, or necrophagy, is a Carnivorous Feeding behaviour in which a predator consumes Corpses or Carrion that were killed A carnivore (ˈkɑrnɪvɔər meaning 'meat eater' ( Latin carne meaning 'flesh' and vorare meaning 'to devour' is any animal with a diet consisting In general a proboscis (from Greek προ pro "before" and βοσκειν boskein "to feed" also known as probiscus The radula is a toothed Chitinous ribbon typically used for scraping cutting and chewing food before it enters the Esophagus. The radula is used to bore holes through the shells of barnacles, clams, crabs and lobsters. A barnacle is a type of Arthropod belonging to infraclass Cirripedia in the subphylum Crustacea, and is hence distantly related to Clam is a word which can be used for all some or only a few Species of Bivalve Mollusks the word is a Common name which has Crabs are decapod Crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (βραχύ / brachy Clawed lobsters compose a family ( Nephropidae, sometimes also Homaridae) of large marine Crustaceans Lobsters are economically important as They also have a large, muscular foot with which they hold their victims. Small sharks, gulls, crabs, and other whelks are known to feed upon whelks.

The knobbed whelk, Busycon carica, is the second-largest species, ranging up to 12 in. The knobbed whelk, Busycon carica, is a Species of very large Predatory sea Snail, or in the USA a Whelk, a marine (40. 6 cm). They have tubercles (or spines) along the shoulder. tubercle (anatomyA tubercle is generally a wart-like projection but it has slightly different meaning depending on which family of plants or animals it is used to refer to Knobbed whelks eat clams. They open the clam with their hard shellstrong muscular foot and insert their long proboscis. The knobbed whelk is a common predator of the intertidal mudflats and as far offshore as 26 fathoms (48 m). The channeled whelk, Busycotypus canaliculatus, is slightly smaller than the knobbed whelk and has a smooth shell with a deep square channel which is continuous on all the whorls, just below the suture of the shell. The channeled whelk, Busycotypus canaliculatus, is a very large predatory sea Snail, a marine Prosobranch Gastropod, a busycon

Busycon whelk egg cases

Busycon whelk eggs strings fairly often wash up, and can dry out on the beach, becoming brittle. These objects are sometimes referred to as "mermaid's necklaces", because they resemble a necklace strung with medallion-shaped egg pouches. Each pouch of the "necklace" contains a large number of baby whelks, very similar in appearance to adults except that the baby shell, or protoconch, has far fewer whorls and less sculpture than the adult.

Busycon whelks as food

Another name for whelk (as a food source) in the United States is scungilli. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The name is an Italian-American adaptation of the Neapolitan word "sconciglio". Neapolitan (autonym napulitano; napoletano is the name given to the varied Italo-Western group of dialects of Southern Italy or more specifically the

References

• The Georgia Shell Club webpage entry for whelk