Whelk or welk is a common name used for some sea snails. It is applied to various species within several unrelated groups of medium-sized to large marine gastropod molluscs. Whelks are mostly found in temperate and tropical waters, and the majority of them have historically been used by humans for food.
The species referred to using this common name vary from one part of the English-speaking world to another:
- In the United States, whelk refers to several large edible species in the genera Busycon and Busycotypus within the family Melongenidae. These are sometimes called Busycon whelks. In addition, the unrelated invasive murex Rapana venosa is referred to as the Veined rapa whelk or Asian rapa whelk.
- British Isles, Belgium and Netherlands. The word whelk probably originated around 1400 in Old English as wioloc or wiluc. In the British Isles, Belgium and the Netherlands, the word is applied to a number of species in the family Buccinidae, especially to Buccinum undatum, an edible European and Northern Atlantic species.
- In Scotland, the word "whelk" is also used for the periwinkle (Littorina littorea). [1]
- West Indies. In the English-speaking islands of the West Indies, the word whelks or wilks (the word is both singular and plural) is applied to a large edible top shell, Cittarium pica, also known as the magpie or West Indian top shell.
- In Australia and New Zealand, species of the genus Cabestana are called predatory whelks.
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[edit] Whelk species and genera
[edit] Whelk species
- Aeneator attenuatus
- Aeneator benthicola
- Aeneator comptus
- Aeneator elegans
- Aeneator galatheae
- Aeneator marshalli separabilis
- Aeneator recens
- Aeneator valedictus
- Austrofusus glans
- Beringius kenicottii
- Buccinum gouldii
- Buccinulum linea linea
- Buccinum undatum
- Burnupena papyracea
- Busycon carica
- Busycon perversum
- Busycotypus canaliculatus
- Cabestana otagoensis
- Cabestana spengleri
- Cabestana waterhousei
- Clea helena
- Cominella adspersa
- Cominella alertae
- Cominella glandiformis
- Cominella maculosa
- Cominella olsoni
- Cominella otagoensis
- Cominella quoyana
- Cominella virgata
- Cominella virgata brookesi
- Glaphyrina caudata
- Glaphyrina plicata
- Haustrum haustorium
- Melongena corona
- Melongena melongena
- Nassarius reticulatus
- Nassarius tiarula
- Neptunea pribiloffensis
- Neptunea lyrata
- Nucella cingulata
- Nucella lapillus
- Paradoxa confirmata
- Paradoxa thomensis
- Penion benthicolus benthicolus
- Penion benthicolus delli
- Penion chathamensis
- Penion cuvieranus cuvieranus
- Penion cuvieranus jeakingsi
- Penion ormesi
- Penion sulcatus
- Pugilina morio
- Rapana venosa
[edit] Whelk genera
- Aeneator (genus)
- Beringius
- Buccinidae
- Buccinulum
- Buccinum
- Busycon
- Busyconinae
- Busycotypus
- Buccinum
- Cabestana
- Cominella
- Clea (gastropod)
- Glaphyrina
- Melongena
- Melongenidae
- Muricidae
- Muricoidea
- Nassariidae
- Nassarius
- Neptunea
- Nucella
- Paradoxa
- Penion
- Pugilina
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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