Buccinidae

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

Genera Antillophos, Engoniophos, Phos, Nassaria, Tomlinia, Anentome and Clea were treated within family Buccinidae, but they were moved to Nassariidae in 2016.[3]

The true whelks occur worldwide in all seas from tropical oceans to the cold seas of the Arctic Ocean and the Southern Ocean.[2] They are found from the intertidal to the bathypelagic zones. Most prefer a solid bottom, but some inhabit sandy substrates.

A siphon whelk Penion ormesi, collected from Golden Bay in New Zealand.

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 are more or less shouldered. The radial ribs of the shell sometimes show shoulder knobs. The aperture 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.[4]

True whelks are carnivores and scavengers.[2] They feed on clams, 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 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, 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.

Egg cases of the common whelk (Buccinum undatum)

Egg cases of the knobbed whelk (Busycon carica), from Delaware Bay

Three Kelletia lischkei whelks from Japan.

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 Busyconinae* 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.[5]

Buccinum undatum on a stamp from the Faroe Islands

Genera within the family Buccinidae include:

subfamily Buccininae

tribe Ancistrolepidini

• Ancistrolepis Dall, 1895

tribe Buccinini

• Buccinum Linnaeus, 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 ?

Genera brought into synonymy

• Acamptochetus Cossmann, 1901: synonym ofMetula H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853
• Adansonia Pallary, 1902: synonym of Chauvetia Monterosato, 1884
• Agassitula Olsson & Bayer, 1972: synonym of Metula H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853
• Anomalosipho: synonym of Anomalisipho Dautzenberg & H. Fischer, 1912
• Antemetula Rehder, 1943: synonym of Metula H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853
• Antimitra Iredale, 1917: synonym ofMetula 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 Metula 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 Metula 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 Buccinum Linnaeus, 1758
• Madiella Wenz, 1943: synonym of Buccinum Linnaeus, 1758
• Mala Cossmann, 1901: synonym of Buccinum Linnaeus, 1758
• Minitula Olsson & Bayer, 1972: synonym of Metula 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 Buccinum Linnaeus, 1758
• Tritonofusus Beck, 1847: synonym of Colus Röding, 1798

• Hayashi S. (2005). "The molecular phylogeny of the Buccinidae (Caenogastropoda: Neogastropoda) as inferred from the complete mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene sequences of selected representatives". Molluscan Research 25(2): 85-98. abstract PDF
• The Seashells of New South Wales : Buccinidae
• Powell A. W. B., New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1
• Glen Pownall, New Zealand Shells and Shellfish, Seven Seas Publishing Pty Ltd, Wellington, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-85467-054-8
• Checklist of Mollusca
• OBIS
• Obis Indo-Pacific Molluscan Database : Buccinidae
• Worldwide Malacological Catalog : Buccinidae
• Bouchet Ph. & Waren A. (1985). "Mollusca Gastropoda : Taxonomical notes on tropical deep water Buccinidae with descriptions of new taxa". Mém. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat. Sér. A. 133: 457–518.

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• Miocene Gastropods and Biostratigraphy of the Kern River Area, California; United States Geological Survey Professional Paper 642 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.