Sinistrofulgur sinistrum

Sinistrofulgur sinistrum is an edible species of large predatory sea snail or whelk, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Busyconidae, the busycon whelks.[1] This species is often confused with Sinistrofulgur perversum, and with Busycon contrarium, which is now considered an exclusively fossil species.[2]

Sinistrofulgur sinistrum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Mollusca
Class:
Gastropoda
(unranked):
clade Caenogastropoda
clade Hypsogastropoda
clade Neogastropoda
Superfamily:
Buccinoidea
Family:
Busyconidae
Genus:
Sinistrofulgur
Species:
S. sinistrum
Binomial name
Sinistrofulgur sinistrum
(Hollister, 1958)
Synonyms
  • Busycon (Sinistrofulgur) aspinosum Hollister, 1958
  • Busycon (Sinistrofulgur) sinistrum Hollister, 1958 (basionym)
  • Busycon sinistrum Hollister, 1958 (original combination)

Description

The size of the shell varies between 200 mm and 450 mm.

This species normally has a sinistral (left-handed) shell, thus the scientific name. (When the shell is held with the spiral end up, the opening is on the left side.) The spire is low and the siphonal canal is long. There is a distinct shoulder where the spire meets the body whorl; knobs of small to moderate size are found at the shoulder. The base color of the shell is variable but is usually pale, and the shell is marked with dark stripes that run down its long axis.

Distribution

This marine species occurs in the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, and the North Atlantic Ocean.[3]

References
  1. Bouchet, P. (2015). Sinistrofulgur sinistrum (Hollister, 1958). In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=862934 on 2015-12-03
  2. J. Wise, M. G. Harasewych, R. T. Dillon Jr. (2004). Population divergence in the sinistral whelks of North America, with special reference to the east Florida ecotone Archived 2012-08-24 at the Wayback Machine (PDF; 673 kB). Marine Biology 145, pp. 1167–1179.
  3. "Sinistrofulgur sinistrum". iNaturalist.org. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  • Petuch E.J., Myers R.F. & Berschauer D.P. (2015). The living and fossil Busycon whelks: Iconic mollusks of eastern North America. San Diego Shell Club. viii + 195 pp.
Museum specimen of egg capsules of Sinistrofulgur sinistrum
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.