''Fulguropsis pyruloides'' is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of Marine Gastropod, commonly known as the pear whelk. It is also known as the Florida pear whelk or Atlantic pear whelk in scientific and shelling circles to differentiate from the more well known ''

Fulguropsis ''Fulguropsis'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Busyconidae The Busyconidae are taxonomic family of large sea snails, often known as whelk Whelks are any of several carnivorous sea snail species with a ...

spirata'', which is also known as the Pear Whelk. It was first described by American conchologist,

Thomas Say Thomas Say (June 27, 1787 – October 10, 1834) was an American entomologist, conchologist, and Herpetology, herpetologist. His studies of insects and shells, numerous contributions to scientific journals, and scientific expeditions to Florida, Ge ...

, in 1822. For a time before the species' range was fully known and it was understood that ''F. spirata'' was only found West of the State of Mississippi, they were occasionally referred to as "Say's Pear Whelk" though this term has fallen out of use. ;Subspecies: * ''Fulguropsis pyruloides pyruloides'' (Say, 1822) * ''Fulguropsis pyruloides rachelcarsonae'' Petuch, R. F. Myers & Berschauer, 2015

Range

This species is native to the Atlantic coast from

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

south to

Key West Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida, at the southern end of the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it con ...

as well as the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

from

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

eastwards. There is intergrade along the coast of

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

, as well as possible intergrade along the

Florida Panhandle The Florida panhandle (also known as West Florida and Northwest Florida) is the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida. It is a Salient (geography), salient roughly long, bordered by Alabama on the west and north, Georgia (U.S. state ...

and Alabama coastline with the species '' Fulguropsis spirata''. The species inhabits a range formerly ascribed to the aforementioned ''F. spirata,'' which was generally found to only inhabit coastlines west of the

Mississippi Delta The Mississippi Delta, also known as the Yazoo–Mississippi Delta, or simply the Delta, is the distinctive northwest section of the U.S. state of Mississippi (and portions of Arkansas and Louisiana) that lies between the Mississippi and Yazo ...

, most if not all specimens east of Alabama are likely of ''F. pyruloides''. This has revealed that many specimens formerly listed as ''F. spirata'' were actually ''F. pyruloides'' the entire time, though these errors have yet to be corrected for the most part.Petuch EJ, et al. 2015. The living and fossil Busycon whelks: Iconic mollusks of eastern North America. San Diego Shell Club. pp 139-162.

References

Marine molluscs of North America Busyconidae Taxa named by Thomas Say Gastropods described in 1822 {{Gastropod-stub