Channeled whelk

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Channeled whelk
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Mollusca Class: Gastropoda Order: Sorbeoconcha Family: Melongenidae Genus: Busycotypus Species: B. canaliculatus
Binomial name
Busycotypus canaliculatus Linnaeus, 1758

The channeled whelk, Busycotypus canaliculatus, is a very large predatory sea snail, a marine prosobranch gastropod, a busycon whelk, belonging to the family Melongenidae. This species is edible.

[edit] Distribution

This species is endemic to the eastern coast of the United States, from Cape Cod, Massachusetts to northern Florida. It has also been introduced into San Francisco Bay.

[edit] Shell description

Shells of the channeled whelk typically reach 5 to 8 inches in length. The shell is smooth and generally pear-shaped, with a large body whorl and a straight siphonal canal. Between the whorls there is a wide, deep channel at the suture, and there are often weak knobs at the shoulders of the whorls. Finely sculpted lines begin at the siphonal canal and revolve around the shell surface.

Body color is typically a buff gray to light tan, with darker brown to brown-red vertical banding. The shell aperture is located on the right side, i.e is mainly dextral, with left-handed or sinistral specimens being rare.

Channeled whelks prefer sandy, shallow, intertidal or subtidal areas, and can be common in these habitats. They tend to be nocturnal and are known to eat clams.

[edit] References