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Busycon

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Busycon
A fossil shell of Busycon contrarium
Scientific classification Edit this 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

Fulgur Montfort, 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]

Shell description

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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.

Behavior

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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.

Eggs

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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.

Human use

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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.

Species

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The genus Busycon contains the following species:[4]

Species brought into synonymy

The following species have been moved from Busycon to the genus Busycotypus

References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Busycon.
  1. ^ Bouchet, P. (2015). Busycon Röding, 1798. In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=160183 on 2015-12-03
  2. ^ "busycon". Merriam-Webster Unabridged. Archived from the original on 2011-07-10. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
  3. ^ Adams, H. & Adams, A. (1853-1858). The genera of Recent Mollusca; arranged according to their organization. London, van Voorst. Vol. 1: xl + 484 pp.; vol. 2: 661 pp.; vol. 3: 138 pls
  4. ^ list of Busycon species at malacolog.org
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