Busycon | |
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A fossil shell of Busycon contrarium | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Mollusca |
Class: | Gastropoda |
Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
Order: | Neogastropoda |
Superfamily: | Buccinoidea |
Family: | Busyconidae |
Subfamily: | Busyconinae |
Genus: | Busycon Röding, 1798 |
Type species | |
Busycon muricatum Röding, 1798 | |
Species | |
See text | |
Synonyms | |
FulgurMontfort, 1810 |
Busycon is a genus of very large edible sea snails in the subfamily Busyconinae. These snails are commonly known in the United States as whelks or Busycon whelks. Less commonly they are loosely, and somewhat misleadingly, called "conchs". [1]
Busycon comes from the Greek bousykon meaning large fig, from bous meaning cow and sykon meaning fig . [2]
Shells of species in this genus can grow to a length of 40 cm.
The shell is pyriform. The body whorl is large, nodulous or spinose. The spire is very short. The aperture is large and subtriangular. The siphonal canal is open, elongated, entire at the fore part. The inner lip is concave, with a single fold anteriorly. The outer lip is internally striated. [3]
The shells are generally a solid cream, light grey or tan in color, however the shell of the lightning whelk is marked with brown and white streaks.
The shell of individuals can sometimes vary quite widely in coloration and sculpture.
Busycon whelks are scavengers and carnivores, equipped with a proboscis tipped with a file-like radula used to bore holes through the shells of barnacles, clams, crabs, and lobsters. They have a large, muscular foot with which they hold their victims. Small sharks, gulls, crabs, and other gastropods are known to feed upon them.
The knobbed whelk, Busycon carica , is the second-largest species, growing up to 30 cm long. They have tubercles (spines) along the shoulder. They open clams with their muscular foot and insert their long proboscis to digest the flesh. The knobbed whelk is a common predator of the foreshore mudflats as far offshore as 50 m.
Strings of Busycon whelk egg capsules commonly wash ashore and desiccate, becoming brittle. These objects are sometimes called mermaid's necklaces because they resemble a large necklace strung with medallion-shaped egg pouches. Each pouch of the string contains numerous protoconchs (baby whelks), similar in appearance to adults but with fewer whorls and less sculpture.
When used for cooking in the United States, busycon whelks are sometimes called scungilli, an Italian-American adaptation of the Neapolitan sconciglio which means the meat of a (usually edible) sea snail.
The genus Busycon contains the following species: [4]
The following species have been moved from Busycon to the genus Busycotypus
Murex is a genus of medium to large sized predatory tropical sea snails. These are carnivorous marine gastropod molluscs in the family Muricidae, commonly called "murexes" or "rock snails".
The knobbed whelk is a species of very large predatory sea snail, or in the US, a whelk, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Busyconidae, the busycon whelks.
Busycotypus canaliculatus, commonly known as the channeled whelk, is a very large predatory sea snail, a marine prosobranch gastropod, a busycon whelk, belonging to the family Busyconidae.
The Buccinidae are a very large and diverse taxonomic family of large sea snails, often known as whelks or true whelks.
Thais, sometimes known by the common names dog winkles or rock shells, is a genus of medium to large predatory sea snails with an operculum, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Muricidae.
Sinistrofulgur perversum, the lightning whelk, is a species of very large predatory sea snail or whelk, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Busyconidae, the busycon whelks. This species has a left-handed or sinistral shell. It eats mostly bivalves.
Sinistrofulgur contrarium is a fossil snail species of the busycon whelks in the family Busyconidae. There has been some confusion about the correct taxonomy of this species, which has been confused with the extant species Sinistrofulgur sinistrum Hollister, 1958, and Sinistrofulgur perversum
Busycotypus is a genus of very large sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Busycotypinae.
Melongena is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Melongenidae, the crown conches and their allies.
Pleuroploca is a genus of very large predatory sea snails with an operculum, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Fasciolariidae, which includes the spindle shells, the tulip shells and other allied genera.
Lithopoma is a genus of medium-sized to large sea snails with a calcareous operculum, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Turbininae of the family Turbinidae, the turban snails.
Fulguropsis is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Busyconidae, the crown conches and their allies.
Nassarius arcularia, the casket nassa or the little box dog whelk, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Nassariidae, the Nassa mud snails or dog whelks.
Bullia is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Nassariidae, the Nassa mud snails or dog whelks.
Charonia lampas is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Charoniidae.
Turbinellinae are a subfamily of large deepwater sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Turbinellidae.
Leptoconus is a subgenus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the genus Conus, family Conidae, the cone snails and their allies.
The Busyconinae are taxonomic subfamily of large sea snails, often known as whelks. The name "whelk" also refers to Buccinidae. Busyconinae consists of Recent and fossil species.
Sinistrofulgur is a genus of large sea snails with left-handed shell-coiling, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Busyconinae.
Sinistrofulgur sinistrum is an edible species of large predatory sea snail in the family Busyconidae, the busycon whelks. This species is often confused with Sinistrofulgur perversum, and with Busycon contrarium, which is now considered an exclusively fossil species.