Buccinum is a genus of medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks.Gofas, S.; Bouchet, P. (2014). Buccinum Linnaeus, 1758. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=137701 on 2015-02-18
Snails in this genus are commonly called whelks, a name shared with several related and unrelated species. The common whelk Buccinum undatum is the most common representative of the genus in the northern Atlantic Ocean.
Description The shell is ovate or ovate-conical and elongated. The spire is moderate and pointed. The aperture is oval or oblong with a deep notch anteriorly and without a siphonal canal. The columella is plain, not flattened, swollen above, and often covered with a wide and flattened calcareous callosity, of more diaphanous substance. There sometimes exists a fold at the base of the columella. The outer lip is plain, quite thin, sometimes recurved, and forming a margin on the exterior. The thin, horny operculum is ovate and concentrically striate.
The soft body is elongated and spiral. The foot almost always considerable and subelliptical. It is shielded or two-lobed before, emarginated behind, bearing an operculum. The mantle is simple and forms a thin-edged flap over the branchial cavity. It is provided with a branchial siphon, projecting, thick, very long and dorsal, issuing from the emargination at the base of the shell. The head is rather thick, furnished with two conical, depressed tentacles supporting the eyes upon the outer side, (sometimes the eyes do not exist, but this case is extremely rare) . The mouth is provided with a retractile trunk, armed with minute teeth. The radula acts as a rasp. The sexes are separate. The love dart of the male is considerable, without an exterior furrow at its base.
All animals are carnivores and scavengers, feeding on dead or damaged marine animals. They are provided with a cylindrical trunk, susceptible of being much elongated or of being concealed entirely within the body. This trunk is armed at its extremity with beaks, which enable the animal to pierce the shell of other molluscs and crustaceans, upon which it preys.Macgillivray, William, History of the molluscous animals of Scotland, London, 1844
The sexes are separate. The shells of the males are generally smaller, and less inflated than those of the females. The males are provided with a very large love dart, i.e. an exciting appendage, which, in a state of repose, is situated under the right edge of the mantle.
The eggs are generally united together. They are sometimes driven and transported by the waves to distances far removed from the places where they had been deposited; whence the same species of Buccinum are often found in very different climates.
Distribution The whelks are met with in all seas, especially upon rocks, where they occur in large numbers. The warmest climates furnish the species most brilliant in coloring. Some species serve for food to the inhabitants of many countries, particularly upon the shores of the English Channel and the North Sea.
Species Species in the genus Buccinum include:
Buccinum abyssorum A.E. Verrill, 1884 - shingled whelk Buccinum acuminulatum Golikov, 1980 Buccinum acutispiratum Dall, 1907 Buccinum aleuticum Dall, 1895 Buccinum alveolatum Kiener, 1834 Buccinum angulosum J.E. Gray, 1839 - angular whelk Buccinum angulosum angulosum J.E. Gray, 1838 - angular whelk Buccinum aniwanum Dall, 1907 Buccinum araitonum Tiba, 1981 Buccinum argillaceum Golikov & Gulbin, 1977 Buccinum baerii (Middendorff, 1848) Buccinum baerii baerii (Middendorff, 1848) Buccinum baerii polium Dall, 1907 Buccinum bayani (Jousseaume, 1883) Buccinum belcheri Reeve, 1855 Buccinum beringense Golikov, 1980 Buccinum bicordatum (Golikov & Sirenko, 1988) Buccinum bizikovi Kantor, Sirenko, Zvonareva & Fedosov, 2022 Buccinum bombycinum Dall, 1907 Buccinum bulimuloideum Dall, 1907 Buccinum byssinum Tiba, 1983 Buccinum cascadiense R. N. Clark, 2022 Buccinum castaneum Dall, 1877 Buccinum chartium Dall, 1919 Buccinum chinoi Kantor, Sirenko, Zvonareva & Fedosov, 2022 Buccinum chishimananux Habe, T. & Ito, 1965 Buccinum chishimanum Pilsbry, 1904 Buccinum ciliatum Fabricius, 1780 Buccinum clarki (Kantor & Harasewych, 1998) Buccinum cnismatopleura Dall, 1919 Buccinum cnismatum Dall, 1907 Buccinum conoideum G.O. Sars, 1878 Buccinum costatum Golikov, 1980: junior homonym, invalid: junior homonym of Buccinum costatum Linnaeus, 1758; B. gulbini is a replacement name ) Buccinum crebricarinatum Lus, 1978 Buccinum crebricostatum Lus, 1978: erroneous spelling of original name by Golikov (1980)) Buccinum crenatum Golikov & Gulbin, 1977 Buccinum cristatum Golikov & Sirenko, 1988 Buccinum cyaneum Bruguiere, 1792 - bluish whelk Buccinum cyaneum cyaneum Bruguiere, 1792 - bluish whelk Buccinum cyaneum patulum G.O. Sars, 1878 - bluish whelk Buccinum cyaneum perdix Mörch, 1868 - bluish whelk Buccinum denseplicatum Golikov, 1980 Buccinum diplodetum Dall, 1907 Buccinum donovani J. E. Gray, 1839 Buccinum ectomycina Dall, 1907 Buccinum elegantum Golikov & Gulbin, 1977 Buccinum epifragilum Tiba, 1983 Buccinum epistomium Dall, 1907 Buccinum eugrammatum Dall, 1907 - lirate whelk Buccinum fedosovi Kantor & Sirenko, 2024 Buccinum felis Okutani, 1964 Buccinum fimbriatum (Golikov & Sirenko, 1988) Buccinum finmarkianum Verkrüzen, 1875 Buccinum flavidum Golikov, 1980 Buccinum fragile G. O. Sars, 1878 Buccinum frausseni Alexeyev & Gornichnykh, 2009 Buccinum fringillum Dall, 1877 - finch whelk Buccinum frustulatum Golikov, 1980 Buccinum fukureum Habe & Ito, 1976 Buccinum gadusensis Fraussen & Terryn, 2021 Buccinum glaciale Linnaeus, 1761 - glacial whelk Buccinum golikovi Kantor, Sirenko, Zvonareva & Fedosov, 2022 Buccinum gulbini Kantor, Sirenko, Zvonareva & Fedosov, 2022 Buccinum habui Tiba, 1984 Buccinum hasegawai Kantor, Sirenko, Zvonareva & Fedosov, 2022 Buccinum hertzensteini Verkruzen, 1882 Buccinum higuchii (Fraussen & Chino, 2009) Buccinum hosoyai Habe & Ito, 1965 Buccinum humphreysianum Bennett, 1825 Buccinum hydrophanum Hancock, 1846 Buccinum isaotakii Kira, 1962 Buccinum japonicum A. Adams, 1861 Buccinum jeffreysii Smith, 1875 Buccinum kadiakense Dall, 1907 Buccinum kashimanum Okutani, 1964 Buccinum kawamurai Habe & Ito, 1965 Buccinum kinukatsugai Habe & Ito, 1968 Buccinum kjennerudae Bouchet & Warén, 1985 Buccinum kobjakovae Golikov & Sirenko, 1988 Buccinum koreana Choe, Yoon & Habe, 1992 Buccinum koshikinum Okutani in Okutani, Tagawa & Horikawa, 1988 Buccinum kosyanae Kantor & Sirenko, 2024 Buccinum kurilense Golikov & Sirenko, 1988 Buccinum kushiroense Habe & Ito, 1976 Buccinum lamelliferum Lus, 1976 Buccinum leucostoma Lischke, 1872 Buccinum limnoideum Dall, 1907 Buccinum lischkeanum Loebbecke, 1881 Buccinum longifiliare Tiba, 1983 Buccinum lyperum Dall, 1919 Buccinum macleani R. N. Clark, 2019 Buccinum maehirai Tiba, 1980 Buccinum maltzani Pfeffer, 1886 Buccinum micropoma Thorson, 1944 - berry whelk Buccinum middendorfii Verkruzen, 1882 Buccinum mirandum Smith, 1875 Buccinum miyauchii Azuma, 1972 Buccinum mizutanii Habe & Ito, 1970 Buccinum mysticum Shikama, 1963 Buccinum niponense Dall, 1907 Buccinum nivale Friele, 1882 Buccinum nodocostum Tiba, 1984 Buccinum normale Dall, 1885 Buccinum oblitum Sykes, 1911 Buccinum obsoletum Golikov, 1980 Buccinum ochotense (Middendorff, 1848) - Okhotsk whelk Buccinum oedematum Dall, 1907 - swollen whelk, swollen whelk Buccinum opisoplectum Dall, 1907 Buccinum osagawai Habe & Ito, 1968 Buccinum ovulum Dall, 1895 Buccinum parvulum Verkrüzen, 1875 Buccinum pemphigus Dall, 1907 Buccinum pemphigus major Dall, 1919 Buccinum pemphigus orotundum Dall, 1907 Buccinum pemphigus pemphigus Dall, 1907 † Buccinum pengaronense O. Boettger, 1875 Buccinum percrassum Dall, 1883 - crude whelk Buccinum physematum Dall, 1919 Buccinum pilosum Golikov & Gulbin, 1977 Buccinum planeticum Dall, 1919 - wandering whelk Buccinum plectrum Stimpson, 1865 - sinuous whelk Buccinum polare J.E. Gray, 1839 - polar whelk Buccinum polium Dall, 1907 Buccinum pulchellum G.O. Sars, 1878 Buccinum rarusum Tiba, 1984 Buccinum rondinum Dall, 1919 Buccinum rossellinum Dall, 1919 Buccinum rossicum Dall, 1907 Buccinum sagamianum Okutani, 1977 Buccinum sakhalinense Dall, 1907 Buccinum scalariforme Moller, 1842 - ladder whelk Buccinum schantaricum (Middendorff, 1848) Buccinum shiretokoensis Habe & Ito, 1976 Buccinum sigmatopleura Dall, 1907 Buccinum simplex (Middendorff, 1848) Buccinum simulatum Dall, 1907 Buccinum solidum Golikov & Sirenko, 1988 Buccinum striatellum Golikov, 1980 Buccinum striatissimum G.B. Sowerby III, 1899 Buccinum strigillatum Dall, 1891 Buccinum subreticulatum Habe & Ito, 1965 Buccinum superangulare Thorson & Oskarsson in Oskarsson, 1962 Buccinum suzumai Habe & Ito, 1980 Buccinum takagawai Habe & Ito, 1972 Buccinum tanguaryi Baker, 1919 Buccinum tenellum Dall, 1883 Buccinum tenuissimum Kuroda in Teramachi, 1933 Buccinum tenuisulcatum Golikov & Gulbin, 1977 Buccinum terebriforme Habe & Ito, 1980 Buccinum terraenovae (Beck in Mörch, 1869) Buccinum thermophilum Harasewych & Kantor, 2002 Buccinum trescostatum Tiba, 1980 Buccinum tsubai Kuroda, 1933 Buccinum tumidulum G.O. Sars, 1878 Buccinum tunicatum Golikov & Gulbin, 1977 Buccinum undatum Linnaeus, 1758 - waved whelk Buccinum unicordatum (Golikov & Sirenko, 1988) Buccinum unuscarinatum Tiba, 1981 Buccinum verkruzeni Kobelt, 1882 Buccinum violaceum Quoy & Gaimard, 1832 (nomen dubium) Buccinum viridum Dall, 1889 - turban whelk, turban whelk Buccinum wakuii Ito & Habe, 1980 Buccinum yadai (Fraussen & Chino, 2009) Buccinum yokomaruae Yamashita & Habe, 1965 Buccinum yoroianum Ozaki, 1958 Buccinum zelotes Dall, 1907
Species brought into synonymy This is a long list because, originally, all species resembling a Buccinum were categorized in this genus. Most of them have become synonyms in the course of time.
Buccinum abbreviatum Gmelin, 1791: synonym of Demoulia abbreviata (Gmelin, 1791) Buccinum achatinum Lamarck, 1816: synonym of Bullia digitalis (Dillwyn, 1817) Buccinum acicula O. F. Müller, 1774: synonym of Cecilioides acicula (O. F. Müller, 1774) Buccinum aciculatum Gmelin, 1791: synonym of Hastula solida (Deshayes, 1857) Buccinum aciculatum Lamarck, 1822: synonym of Mazatlania cosentini (Philippi, 1836) Buccinum acuminatum Menke, 1843: synonym of Mitrella menkeana (Reeve, 1858) Buccinum acuminatum Broderip, 1830: synonym of Buccinum undatum Linnaeus, 1758 Buccinum acutecostatum Philippi, 1844: synonym of Amphissa acutecostata (Philippi, 1844) Buccinum acute-costatum Philippi, 1844: synonym of Amphissa acutecostata (Philippi, 1844) Buccinum adspersum Bruguière, 1789: synonym of Cominella adspersa (Bruguière, 1789) Buccinum aethiops Reeve, 1847: synonym of Macron aethiops (Reeve, 1847) Buccinum affinis Lesson, 1842: synonym of Cominella adspersa (Bruguière, 1789) Buccinum afrum Philippi, 1851: synonym of Nassarius coronulus (A. Adams, 1852) Buccinum albescens Dunker, 1846: synonym of Nassarius albescens (Dunker, 1846) Buccinum albozonatum Watson, 1886: synonym of Falsimohnia albozonata (Watson, 1886) Buccinum aleuticum Dall, 1895 - Aleut whelk: synonym of Japelion aleuticus (Dall, 1895) Buccinum alicei Dautzenberg & Fischer H., 1912: synonym of Buccinum nivale Friele, 1882 Buccinum allium Dillwyn, 1817: synonym of Tonna allium (Dillwyn, 1817) † Buccinum altile Conrad, 1832: synonym of † Ptychosalpinx altilis (Conrad, 1832) Buccinum amaliae Verkruzen, 1878: synonym of Buccinum undatum Linnaeus, 1758 Buccinum ambiguum Pulteney, 1799: synonym of Nassarius ambiguus (Pulteney, 1799): synonym of Nassarius antillarum (d'Orbigny, 1847): synonym of Phrontis antillara (d'Orbigny, 1847)