The Buccinidae are a very large and diverse taxonomic

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

of large sea snails, often known as

whelk Whelk (also known as scungilli) is a common name applied to various kinds of sea snail. Although a number of whelks are relatively large and are in the family Buccinidae (the true whelks), the word ''whelk'' is also applied to some other marin ...

s or true whelks.Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S. (2010). Buccinidae. In: Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S.; Rosenberg, G. (2010) World Marine Mollusca database. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=149 on 2010-12-30 The family includes more than 1500 species.

Taxonomy

The family Busyconidae was for a time treated as a subfamily of Buccinidae called

Busyconinae 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.Bouchet, P. (2015). Busyconinae Wade, 1917 (1867). In: MolluscaB ...

. Genera ''

Antillophos ''Antillophos'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Nassariidae. Taxonomy This genus was treated within family Buccinidae. It was moved to family Nassariidae in 2016.Galindo, L. A., Puillandre, N., Utge, J., Lozouet ...

'', ''

Engoniophos ''Engoniophos'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily of the family Nassariidae. MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Engoniophos Woodring, 1928. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://w ...

'', ''

Phos ''Phos'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Nassariidae.Bouchet, P. (2015). Phos Montfort, 1810. In: MolluscaBase (2017). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia. ...

'', ''

Nassaria ''Nassaria'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Tomliniinae of the family Nassariidae.MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Nassaria Link, 1807. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http:/ ...

'', '' Tomlinia'', '' Anentome'' and '' ''Clea'''' were treated within family Buccinidae, but they were moved to Nassariidae in 2016.

Habitat

The true whelks occur worldwide in all seas from tropical oceans to the cold seas of the

Arctic Ocean The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceans. It spans an area of approximately and is known as the coldest of all the oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, a ...

and the

Southern Ocean The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60° S latitude and encircling Antarctica. With a size of , it is regarded as the second-small ...

. They are found from the

intertidal The intertidal zone, also known as the foreshore, is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide (in other words, the area within the tidal range). This area can include several types of habitats with various species ...

to the

bathypelagic zone The bathypelagic zone or bathyal zone (from Greek βαθύς (bathýs), deep) is the part of the open ocean that extends from a depth of below the ocean surface. It lies between the mesopelagic above, and the abyssopelagic below. The bathypelagi ...

s. Most prefer a solid bottom, but some inhabit sandy substrates.

Description

The shells of species in this family are moderate to large in size, conical to fusiform in shape. The shell often has deep sutures. The shell surface is generally smooth, sometimes with a spiral and/ or axial sculpture. The thickness of the shell is more pronounced in tropical shallow-water species, while the shell of species living in moderate and colder waters is generally thin or moderately thin. The top of the

whorls A whorl ( or ) is an individual circle, oval, volution or equivalent in a whorled pattern, which consists of a spiral or multiple concentric objects (including circles, ovals and arcs). Whorls in nature File:Photograph and axial plane floral ...

are more or less shouldered. The radial ribs of the shell sometimes show shoulder knobs. The

aperture In optics, an aperture is a hole or an opening through which light travels. More specifically, the aperture and focal length of an optical system determine the cone angle of a bundle of rays that come to a focus in the image plane. An ...

is large with a well-defined siphonal canal. The rim of the aperture is sometimes used to pry open the shell of bivalves. The aperture is closed by a horny operculum. The soft body is elongated and spiral. The head has two conical, depressed tentacles which bear the eyes on a lobe or prominence at their base. The mouth contains a long, cylindrical, annulated proboscis and a small tongue. The mantle forms a thin-edged flap over the branchial cavity. On the left side, it has an elongated, open canal, that emerges by a notch or groove in the shell. The two gills are elongated, unequal and pectinate (i.e. in a comb-like arrangement). The large foot is generally broad. True whelks are

carnivore A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose food and energy requirements derive from animal tissues (mainly muscle, fat and other s ...

s and scavengers. They feed on

clam Clam is a common name for several kinds of bivalve molluscs. The word is often applied only to those that are edible and live as infauna, spending most of their lives halfway buried in the sand of the seafloor or riverbeds. Clams have two shel ...

s, carrion, and sometimes even on detritus. Their sense of smell is very well-developed; they can sense chemical signals from their prey from a considerable distance with their osphradia. Many whelks are capable of boring through the shell of bivalves, and because of this, some species cause much harm in

oyster Oyster is the common name for a number of different families of salt-water bivalve molluscs that live in marine or brackish habitats. In some species, the valves are highly calcified, and many are somewhat irregular in shape. Many, but not ...

farms. True whelks can even attack fish caught in a net by extending their probosces to twice the length of their own bodies. The female whelk lays spongy egg capsules with hundreds of eggs. These form round clusters or a tower-shaped masses. Only about 10% of these eggs hatch. The larvae then feed on the rest of the eggs that have not yet hatched. The flesh of the common northern whelk, ''

Buccinum undatum ''Buccinum undatum'', the common whelk or the waved buccinum, is a large, edible marine gastropod in the family Buccinidae, the "true whelks".Fraussen, K.; Gofas, S. (2014). Buccinum undatum Linnaeus, 1758. Accessed through: World Register of M ...

'', is much appreciated by connoisseurs as a food item, but its consumption is currently somewhat in decline. The empty shell of a whelk is often used by the hermit crab to make its home.

Taxonomy

According to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi (2005), the family Buccinidae consists of six subfamilies: Subfamily Buccininae Rafinesque, 1815 * tribe Ancistrolepidini Habe & Sato, 1973 * tribe Buccinini Rafinesque, 1815 * tribe Buccinulini Finlay, 1928 * tribe Colini Gray, 1857 - synonyms: Neptuneinae Stimpson, 1865; Chrysodominae Dall, 1870; Pyramimitridae Cossmann, 1901; Truncariinae Cossmann, 1901; Metajapelioninae Gorychaev, 1987 * tribe Cominellini Gray, 1857: in 2021 upgraded to family level Cominellidae * tribe Liomesini P. Fischer, 1884 - synonym: Buccinopsidae G. O. Sars, 1878 (inv.) * tribe Parancistrolepidini Habe, 1972 - synonym: Brevisiphoniinae Lus, 1973 * tribe Prosiphonini Powell, 1951 * tribe Volutopsiini Habe & Sato, 1973 Subfamily Beringiinae Golikov & Starobogatov, 1975 Subfamily

* Wade, 1917 (1867) : presently, Busyconinae is treated as a synonym of the Busyconidae. Subfamily Donovaniinae Casey, 1904 - synonym: Lachesinae L. Bellardi, 1877 (inv.) Subfamily Neptuneinae W. Stimpson, 1865 Subfamily Siphonaliinae Finlay, 1928 - synonym: Austrosiphonidae Cotton & Godfrey, 1938 The subfamily Pisaniinae has been raised to the status of family Pisaniidae in 2009 by Galindo, L. A.; Puillandre, N.; Utge, J.; Lozouet, P.; Bouchet, P. Galindo, L. A.; Puillandre, N.; Utge, J.; Lozouet, P.; Bouchet, P. (2016). The phylogeny and systematics of the Nassariidae revisited (Gastropoda, Buccinoidea). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 99: 337-353
/ref>

Genera

Genera within the family Buccinidae include: subfamily Buccininae tribe Ancistrolepidini * '' Ancistrolepis'' Dall, 1895 tribe Buccinini * ''

Buccinum ''Buccinum'' is a genus of medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks.Gofas, S.; Bouchet, P. (2014). Buccinum Linnaeus, 1758. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www. ...

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

, 1758 * '' Suessionia'' Cossmann, 1889 † tribe Buccinulini * '' Buccinulum'' Deshayes, 1830 tribe Colini * '' Truncaria'' Adams & Reeve, 1850 tribe Liomesini * '' Liomesus'' Stimpson, 1865 tribe Parancistrolepidini * '' Parancistrolepis'' Azuma, 1965 tribe Prosiphonini * '' Prosipho'' Thiele, 1912 tribe Volutopsiini * '' Volutopsius'' Mörch, 1857 Subfamily Beringiinae * '' Beringius'' Dall, 1887 subfamily Donovaniinae Subfamily Neptuneinae W. Stimpson, 1865 * '' Aulacofusus'' Dall, 1918 * '' Neptunea'' Röding, 1798 subfamily Siphonaliinae * '' Siphonalia'' A. Adams, 1863 subfamily ? * ''

Aeneator An ''aeneator'' ( lat, aēneātor or ) was a specialized player of wind instruments who was attached to a Roman military unit. The word comes from Latin ''aēneus'' or ''ahēneus'', "brazen", from ''aes'', "copper alloy". While the size of individ ...

Finlay Finlay is a masculine given name, and also a surname. The given name is represented in Scottish Gaelic as Fionnlagh. Given name Finlay * Finlay Mickel, Scottish skier *Finlay Currie (1878–1968), Scottish actor * Finlay Calder, Scottish rugby pl ...

, 1927 * '' Afer'' Conrad, 1858 * '' Anomacme'' Strebel, 1905 * '' Anomalosipho'' Dautzenberg & H. Fischer, 1912 * '' Antarctodomus'' A. Adams, 1863 * '' Antarctoneptunea'' Dell, 1972 * '' Antistreptus'' Dall, 1902 * '' Argeneuthria'' Pastorino, 2016 * '' Atractodon'' Charlesworth, 1837 * '' Austrofusus''

Kobelt Kobelt may refer to: People * Georg Ludwig Kobelt (1804-1857), German anatomist * Karl Kobelt (1891-1968), Swiss politician * Wilhelm Kobelt (1840-1916), German zoologist Other

* Kobelt Airport, an airport in Ulster County, New York, United St ...

, 1879 * ''

Bartschia ''Bartschia'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Colubrariidae Colubrariidae are a taxonomic family of medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Buccinoidea. Bouchet, P. (2010). Colu ...

'' Rehder, 1943 * '' Bathyancistrolepis'' Habe & Ito, 1968 * '' Bathybuccinum'' Golikov & Sirenko, 1989 * '' Bathydomus'' Thiele, 1912 * '' Bayerius'' Olsson, 1971 * '' Beringion'' Habe & Ito, 1965 * † '' Boreokelletia'' Anderson, 1964 * '' Calliloncha'' Lus, 1978 * '' Cavineptunea'' Powell, 1951 * '' Chauvetia'' Monterosato, 1884 * '' Chlanidota'' Martens, 1878 * '' Chlanidotella'' Thiele 1929 * '' Chlanificula'' Powell, 1958 * ''

Clea Clea Strange () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by co-plotters Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, Clea first appeared in the Doctor Strange feature in ''Strange Tales'' #126 (November 1964). S ...

'' A. Adams, 1855 * ''

Clinopegma ''Clinopegma'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Buccinidae The Buccinidae are a very large and diverse taxonomic family of large sea snails, often known as whelks or true whelks.Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S. (201 ...

Grant Grant or Grants may refer to: Places *Grant County (disambiguation) Australia * Grant, Queensland, a locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia United Kingdom * Castle Grant United States * Grant, Alabama * Grant, Inyo County, ...

& Gale, 1931 * '' Corneobuccinum'' Golikov & Gulbin, 1977 * '' Costaria'' Golikov, 1977 * '' Crenatosipho'' Linse, 2002 * '' Drepanodontus'' Harasewych & Kantor, 2004 * '' Egotistica'' Marwick, 1934 * '' Euthrenopsis'' Powell, 1929 * '' Euthria'' M. E Gray, 1850 * '' Euthriostoma'' Marche-Marchard & Brebion, 1977 * '' Falsimohnia'' Powell, 1951 * '' Fusinella'' Thiele, 1917 * '' Germonea'' Harasewych & Kantor, 2004 * † '' Golikovia'' Habe & Sato, 1972 * '' Habevolutopsius'' Kantor, 1983 * '' Harpofusus'' Habe & Ito, 1965 * '' Helicofusus'' Dall, 1916 * '' Hindsia'' A. Adams, 1855 * '' Japelion'' Dall, 1916 * '' Japeuthria'' Iredale, 1918 * '' Kelletia'' Fischer, 1884 * '' Latisipho'' Dall, 1916 * '' Limatofusus'' Vaught, 1989 * '' Lirabuccinum'' Vermeij, 1991 * '' Lussivolutopsius'' Kantor, 1983 * ''

Metaphos ''Metaphos'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family (biology), family Nassariidae. MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Metaphos Olsson, 1964. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marines ...

'' Olsson, 1964 * '' Meteuthria'' Thiele, 1912 * '' Mohnia'' Friele in Kobelt, 1879 * '' Muffinbuccinum'' Harasewych & Kantor, 2004 * '' Neancistrolepis'' Habe & Sato, 1972 * '' Neoberingius'' Habe & Ito, 1965 * ''

Neobuccinum ''Neobuccinum'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks. Species Species within the genus ''Neobuccinum'' include: * ''Neobuccinum eatoni ''Neobuccinum eatoni'' is a species of sea sna ...

'' Smith, 1877 * '' Neoteron'' Pilsbry & Lowe, 1932 * '' Northia'' Gray, 1847 * '' Ornatoconcha'' Lus, 1987 * '' Ovulatibuccinum'' Golikov & Sirenko, 1989 * '' Parabuccinum'' Harasewych, Kantor & Linse, 2000 * '' Paracalliloncha'' Lus, 1987 * '' Paranotoficula'' Kantor & Harasewych, 2008 * '' Pararetifusus'' Kosuge, 1967 * '' Parviphos'' Sarasua, 1984 * ''

Penion ''Penion'' is a genus of large marine (ocean), marine snails, commonly known as siphon whelks, classified within the mollusc family (biology), family Austrosiphonidae, the true whelks.MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Penion P. Fischer, 188 ...

'' Fischer, 1884 * '' Phaenomenella'' Fraussen, 2006 * '' Plicibuccinum'' Golikov & Gulbin, 1977 * '' Plicifusus'' Dall, 1902 * '' Probuccinum'' Thiele, 1912 * '' Proneptunea'' Thiele, 1912 * '' Pseudoliomesus'' Habe & Sato, 1972 * '' Pyrolofusus'' Friele, 1882 * '' Reticubuccinum'' Ito & Habe, 1980 * '' Savatieria'' Rochebrune & Mabille, 1885 * '' Searlesia'' Harmer, 1914 * '' Serratifusus'' Darragh, 1969 * '' Siphonofusus'' Kuroda & Habe, 1952 * '' Spikebuccinum'' Harasewych & Kantor, 2004 * '' Strebela'' Kantor & Harasewych, 2013 * '' Tacita'' Lus, 1971 * '' Tasmeuthria'' Iredale, 1925 * '' Thalassoplanes'' Dall, 1908 * '' Trajana'' Gardner, 1948 * '' Troschelia'' Mörch, 1876 * '' Volutharpa'' Fischer, 1856 * † '' Zelandiella'' Finlay, 1926 ;Genera brought into synonymy: * ''Acamptochetus'' Cossmann, 1901: synonym of''

Metula Metula ( he, מְטֻלָּה) is a town in the Northern District of Israel. Metula is located next to the northern border with Lebanon. In it had a population of . Metula is the northernmost town in Israel. History Bronze and Iron Age Metu ...

'' H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853 * ''Adansonia'' Pallary, 1902: synonym of '' Chauvetia'' Monterosato, 1884 * ''Agassitula'' Olsson & Bayer, 1972: synonym of ''

'' H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853 * ''Anomalosipho'': synonym of '' Anomalisipho'' Dautzenberg & H. Fischer, 1912 * ''Antemetula'' Rehder, 1943: synonym of ''

'' H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853 * '' Antimitra'' Iredale, 1917: synonym of''

'' H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853 * ''Barbitonia'' Dall, 1916: synonym of ''Neptunea (Barbitonia)'' Dall, 1916 represented as '' Neptunea'' Röding, 1798 * ''Bathyclionella'' Kobelt, 1905: synonym of '' Belomitra'' P. Fischer, 1883 * ''Boreofusus'' G.O. Sars, 1878: synonym of '' Troschelia'' Mörch, 1876 * ''Brevisiphonia'' Lus, 1973: synonym of '' Thalassoplanes'' Dall, 1908 * ''Buccinopsis'' Jeffreys, 1867: synonym of '' Liomesus'' Stimpson, 1865 * ''Chauvetiella'' F. Nordsieck, 1968: synonym of '' Chauvetia'' Monterosato, 1884 * ''Chrysodomus'' Swainson, 1840: synonym of '' Neptunea'' Röding, 1798 * ''Colicryptus'' Iredale, 1918: synonym of '' Turrisipho'' Dautzenberg & H. Fischer, 1912 * ''Colubrarina'' Kuroda & Habe in Kuroda, Habe & Oyama, 1971: synonym of ''

'' H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853 * ''Cryptomitra'' Dall, 1924: synonym of '' Belomitra'' P. Fischer, 1883 * ''Dellina'' Beu, 1970: synonym of '' Belomitra'' P. Fischer, 1883 * ''Donovania'' Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1883: synonym of '' Chauvetia'' Monterosato, 1884 * ''Donovaniella'' F. Nordsieck, 1968: synonym of '' Chauvetia'' Monterosato, 1884 * ''Echinosipho'' Kaiser, 1977: synonym of '' Americominella'' Klappenbach & Ureta, 1972 * ''Floritula'' Olsson & Bayer, 1972: synonym of ''

'' H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853 * ''Folineaea'' Monterosato, 1884: synonym of '' Chauvetia'' Monterosato, 1884 * ''Fulgur'' Montfort, 1810: synonym of '' Busycon'' Röding, 1798 * ''Jumala'' Friele, 1882: synonym of '' Beringius'' Dall, 1887 * ''Kapala'' Ponder, 1982: synonym of '' Buccipagoda'' Ponder, 2010 * ''Lachesis'' Risso, 1826: synonym of '' Chauvetia'' Monterosato, 1884 * ''Mada'' Jeffreys, 1867: synonym of ''

, 1758 * ''Madiella'' Wenz, 1943: synonym of ''

, 1758 * ''Mala'' Cossmann, 1901: synonym of ''

, 1758 * ''Minitula'' Olsson & Bayer, 1972: synonym of ''

'' H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853 * ''Morrisonella'' Bartsch, 1945: synonym of '' Belomitra'' P. Fischer, 1883 * ''Neptunia'' Locard, 1886: synonym of '' Neptunea'' Röding, 1798 * ''Nesaea'' Risso, 1826: synonym of '' Chauvetia'' Monterosato, 1884 * ''Parasipho'' Dautzenberg & H. Fischer, 1912: synonym of '' Plicifusus'' Dall, 1902 * ''Pleurobela'' Monterosato in Locard, 1897: synonym of '' Belomitra'' P. Fischer, 1883 * ''Quasisipho'' Petrov, 1982: synonym of '' Plicifusus'' Dall, 1902 * ''Sipho'' Mörch, 1852: synonym of '' Colus'' Röding, 1798 * ''Siphonorbis'' Mörch, 1869: synonym of '' Colus'' Röding, 1798 * ''Strombella'' Gray, 1857: synonym of '' Volutopsius'' Mörch, 1857 * ''Syntagma'' Iredale, 1918: synonym of '' Chauvetia'' Monterosato, 1884 * ''Tritonidea'' Swainson, 1840: synonym of '' Cantharus'' Röding, 1798 * '' Tritonium'' O.F. Müller, 1776: synonym of ''

, 1758 * ''Tritonofusus'' Beck, 1847: synonym of '' Colus'' Röding, 1798

References

External links

Miocene Gastropods and Biostratigraphy of the Kern River Area, California; United States Geological Survey Professional Paper 642
{{taxonbar, from=Q24115 Taxa named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque

Taxonomy

Habitat

Description

Taxonomy

Genera

References

Further reading

External links