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{{short description|Common name that is applied to various kinds of sea snail}}
{{Taxobox
{{More citations needed|date=May 2018}}
| color = pink
[[File:Whelks at a fish market in Japan.jpg|thumbnail|Several different species of large whelks in the family [[Buccinidae]], the true whelks, on sale at a [[fish market]] in [[Japan]]]]
| name = {{PAGENAME}}
[[File:Whelk at the wreck of SAS Pietermaritzburg P7260797.JPG|thumb|A whelk at [[Miller's Point, Western Cape|Miller's Point]] near [[Cape Town]]]]
| image = Welk2.jpg
| image_width = 250px
| image_caption = A lightning whelk shell found on a Gulf of Mexico beach in Louisiana.
| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
| phylum = [[Mollusca]]
| classis = [[Gastropoda]]
| subclassis = [[Orthogastropoda]]
| superordo = [[Caenogastropoda]]
| ordo = [[Sorbeoconcha]]
| subordo = [[Hypsogastropoda]]
| infraordo = [[Neogastropoda]]
| subdivision_ranks = [[Families]]
| subdivision = See text.
}}


'''Whelks''' are any of several carnivorous sea snail species<ref>{{Cite web |title=Whelk |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whelk |access-date=26 Feb 2023 |website=Merriam Webster Dictionary}}</ref> with a swirling, tapered shell. Many are eaten by humans, such as the [[Buccinum undatum|common whelk]] of the North Atlantic. Most whelks belong to the family [[Buccinidae]] and are known as "true whelks." Others, such as the [[dog whelk]], belong to several sea snail families that are not closely related.
The common name '''Whelk''' is used in English-speaking countries for several very different kinds of large, usually edible, sea [[snail]]s.


True whelks (family Buccinidae) are carnivorous, and feed on annelids, crustaceans, mussels and other molluscs, drilling holes through shells to gain access to the soft tissues. Whelks use [[chemoreceptors]] to locate their prey.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.molluscs.at/gastropoda/index.html?/gastropoda/sea/common_whelk.html |title=Snails and Slugs (Gastropoda) |publisher=www.molluscs.at}}</ref>
This article is primarily written from the perspective of the eastern USA, where the common name "whelk" is most often applied to several species of very large, edible ''[[Busycon]]'' snails, [[marine (ocean)|marine]] [[gastropod]] [[mollusk]]s in the family [[Melongenidae]].


Many have historically been used, or are still used, by humans and other animals as food. In a {{convert|100|g|oz|frac=2|abbr=off|adj=on}} reference serving of whelk, there are {{convert|137|kcal|kJ|order=flip|abbr=off}} of [[food energy]], 24&nbsp;g of protein, 0.34&nbsp;g of fat, and 8&nbsp;g of carbohydrates.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://recipeofhealth.com/nutrition-calories/whelk-unspecified-3759rb |title=Nutrition and Calories in Whelk |publisher=recipeofhealth.com}}</ref>
For information about the common European and northern Atlantic whelk, please see [[Buccinum undatum]].


[[Dog whelk]], a predatory species, was used in antiquity to make a rich red dye that improves in color as it ages.<ref>{{cite book|title=Bede's Ecclesiastical History of England by Saint the Venerable Bede (Book 1, Chapter 1)|url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/38326/38326-h/38326-h.html#toc13}}</ref>
For information on other kinds of whelks, please see the name of the [[taxonomic]] family to which they belong; see below.


==Usage==
==Other sea snails called whelks==
The [[common name]] "whelk" is also spelled ''welk'' or even ''wilk''.
English-speaking countries world-wide use the word "whelk" to refer to various kinds of large (often edible) sea snails, but it is important to note that even though the same or similar common names are used for all of these sea snails, the various different kinds of snail are often not at all closely related to one another. Some of these gastropods are so distantly related that they are not even in the same [[superorder]] as others.


The species, genera and families referred to by this common name vary a great deal from one geographic area to another.
In the [[British Isles]] and the [[Netherlands]], where the word "whelk" seems to have originated, the word means ''[[Buccinum undatum]]'' and several related species in the family [[Buccinidae]].


===United States===
⚫
In some islands in the Caribbean, such as [[Saint Kitts and Nevis]], the name whelks or "wilks" is used for a large edible top shell, ''Cittarium pica'', also known as the magpie, or West Indian top shell, which is in the family [[Trochidae]].
In the [[United States]], ''whelk'' refers to several large edible species in the genera ''[[Busycon]]'' and ''[[Busycotypus]]'', which are now classified in the family [[Buccinidae]]. These are sometimes called ''[[Busycon]] whelks''.


In the USA, a problematic introduced species is known as "[[Veined rapa whelk]]" or "Asian rapa whelk" (''Rapana venosa''). This species is in the family [[Muricidae]], the murexes.
In , species is as Veined rapa whelk or Asian rapa whelk'' in the family [[Muricidae]].


===Brazil===
⚫
In Australia and New Zealand, species of the genus ''[[Cabestana]]'' in the family [[Ranellidae]] are called predatory whelks.
In [[Brazil]], there is a very popular [[Afro-Brazilians|Afro-Brazilian]] divination game practiced by older women of African ancestry called ''jogo de búzios'' (game of whelks), which uses empty shells of these [[gastropoda|gastropods]].


=== United Kingdom and Ireland, Belgium, Netherlands===
==Shell description for ''Busycon'' whelks==
In the [[British Isles]], [[Belgium]] and the [[Netherlands]] (''wulk''/''wullok''), the word is used for a number of species in the family [[Buccinidae]], especially ''[[Buccinum undatum]]'', an edible [[Europe]]an and [[Northern Atlantic]] species.
Like other [[mollusk]]s, whelks have a [[mantle (mollusc)|mantle]], a thin layer of tissue located between the body and the shell that creates the shell. Whelks build their hard shells from the [[calcium carbonate]] they extract from seawater. The shells can grow up to 16 inches (40 cm) long.
[[Image:2welks.jpg|thumb|left|A channeled whelk (left) and a lightning whelk.]]
Whelk shells are generally light grey to tan, often having brown and white streaks. The shells have a long [[siphonal canal]], and most species coil dextrally (right-handed, or in a clockwise direction). The [[lightning whelk]], ''Busycon perversum'', native to the waters of the southeastern United States and the [[Gulf of Mexico]], is unusual among gastropods in that it normally produces a sinistral (left-handed) shell. The shell shape of individual specimens may vary widely in both coloration and sculpture.


In the British Isles, the common name "dog whelk" is used for ''[[Nucella lapillus]]'' (family Muricidae) and for ''[[Nassarius]]'' species (family [[Nassariidae]]). Historically, they were a popular street food in Victorian London, typically located close to public houses and theatres.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Werner, Alex.|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/754167835|title=Dickens's Victorian London : 1839-1901|date=2011|publisher=Museum of London|others=Williams, Tony., Museum of London.|isbn=978-0-09-194373-8|location=London|pages=103|oclc=754167835}}</ref>
==Life habits of ''Busycon'' whelks==
''Busycon'' whelks are found in temperate waters. They are [[scavengers]] and [[carnivores]], equipped with an extensible [[proboscis]] that is tipped with a file-like [[radula]]. The radula is used to bore holes through the shells of [[clam]]s, [[crabs]] and [[lobster]]s. They also have a large, muscular foot with which they hold their victims.


====Scotland====
The [[knobbed whelk]], ''Busycon carica'', is the second-largest species, ranging up to 12 in. (40.6 cm). They have [[tubercle]]s (or spines) along the shoulder. Knobbed whelks eat clams. They open the clam with their hard shellstrong muscular foot and insert their long proboscis. The knobbed whelk is a common predator of the [[Foreshore|intertidal]] mudflats and as far offshore as 26 fathoms (48 m). The [[channeled whelk]], ''Busycotypus canaliculatus'', is slightly smaller than the knobbed whelk and has a smooth shell with a deep square channel which is continuous on all the whorls, just below the [[suture (gastropod)|suture]] of the shell.
In [[Scotland]], the word "whelk" is also used to mean the [[Common periwinkle|periwinkle]] (''Littorina littorea''), family [[Littorinidae]].<ref>Multilingual Dictionary of Fish and Fish Products, prepared by the [[OECD]], Paris, second edition, 1978</ref>


===West Indies===
==''Busycon'' whelk egg cases==
⚫
In islands the [[ ]], the whelks or wilks is a large edible top shell, ''Cittarium pica'', also known as the magpie or West Indian top shell, family [[Trochidae]].
''Busycon'' whelk eggs strings fairly often wash up, and can dry out on the beach, becoming brittle. These objects are sometimes referred to as "mermaid's necklaces", because they resemble a necklace strung with medallion-shaped egg pouches. Each pouch of the "necklace" contains a large number of baby whelks, very similar in appearance to adults except that the baby shell, or protoconch, has far fewer whorls and less sculpture than the adult.


===Asia===
==''Busycon'' whelks as food==
[[File:Tsubugai-Kushiyaki.jpg|thumb|200px|Skewered whelks from Japan]]
Another name for whelk (as a food source) in the [[United States]] is ''scungilli''. The name is an Italian-American corruption of the [[Neapolitan language|Neopolitan]] word, sconciglio.
In Japan, {{nihongo|whelks|ツブ, 螺|tsubu}} are frequently used in [[sashimi]] and [[sushi]]. In Vietnam, they are served in a dish called ''[[Bún ốc]]'' - vermicelli with sea snails. ''{{transl|ko|[[Golbaengi-muchim]]}}'' ({{lang|ko|골뱅이 무침}}) is a Korean dish consisting of whelks and with chili sauce in a salad with cold noodles. It has been a very popular side dish with alcohol for many generations.


===Australia, New Zealand===
⚫
== References ==
⚫
In Australia and New Zealand, species of the genus ''[[Cabestana]]'' family [[Ranellidae]] are called predatory whelks.
⚫
* [http://www.arches.uga.edu/~amylyne/GSC/whelk.html The Georgia Shell Club webpage entry for whelk]


==Some common examples==
⚫
[[Category:Gastropods]]
* [[Busycotypus canaliculatus|Channeled whelk]]
⚫
[[Category:Edible molluscs]]
* [[Buccinum undatum|Common whelk]]
[[Category:State shells of the United States]]
* [[Knobbed whelk]], the [[List of U.S. state shells|state shell]] of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] and [[New Jersey]]
* [[Lightning whelk]]
* [[Neptunea antiqua|Red whelk]]
* [[Cominella adspersa|Speckled whelk]]
* "Wrinkled whelk", "inflated whelk", and "lyre whelk", common names for ''[[Neptunea lyrata]]''
* [[Nucella lamellosa|Wrinkled purple whelk]]


==See also==
[[da:Konksnegl]]
* [[Conch]], another common name used for a wide variety of large sea snails or their shells
[[gd:Gille-fionn]]

⚫
==References==
{{reflist}}
⚫
* [http://www.arches.uga.edu/~amylyne/GSC/whelk.html The Georgia Shell Club webpage entry for whelk]

==External links==
{{wiktionary}}
{{NIE Poster}}
*[http://www.healthaliciousness.com/nutritionfacts/nutrition-comparison.php?o=15177&t=15178&h=&s=100&e=100&r= Nutrition facts for "whelk" (species not indicated) as a food source]
*[http://www.marlin.ac.uk/species/detail/1560 The Marine Life Information Network - The Common Whelk]

{{commercial molluscs}}
⚫
Edible molluscs

⚫
[[Category:]]
[[Category:Mollusc common names]]

Latest revision as of 12:24, 31 July 2024

Several different species of large whelks in the family Buccinidae, the true whelks, on sale at a fish market in Japan
A whelk at Miller's Point near Cape Town

Whelks are any of several carnivorous sea snail species[1] with a swirling, tapered shell. Many are eaten by humans, such as the common whelk of the North Atlantic. Most whelks belong to the family Buccinidae and are known as "true whelks." Others, such as the dog whelk, belong to several sea snail families that are not closely related.

True whelks (family Buccinidae) are carnivorous, and feed on annelids, crustaceans, mussels and other molluscs, drilling holes through shells to gain access to the soft tissues. Whelks use chemoreceptors to locate their prey.[2]

Many have historically been used, or are still used, by humans and other animals as food. In a 100-gram (3+1⁄2-ounce) reference serving of whelk, there are 570 kilojoules (137 kilocalories) of food energy, 24 g of protein, 0.34 g of fat, and 8 g of carbohydrates.[3]

Dog whelk, a predatory species, was used in antiquity to make a rich red dye that improves in color as it ages.[4]

Usage

[edit]

The common name "whelk" is also spelled welk or even wilk.

The species, genera and families referred to by this common name vary a great deal from one geographic area to another.

United States

[edit]

In the United States, whelk refers to several large edible species in the genera Busycon and Busycotypus, which are now classified in the family Buccinidae. 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 in the family Muricidae.

Brazil

[edit]

In Brazil, there is a very popular Afro-Brazilian divination game practiced by older women of African ancestry called jogo de búzios (game of whelks), which uses empty shells of these gastropods.

United Kingdom and Ireland, Belgium, Netherlands

[edit]

In the British Isles, Belgium and the Netherlands (wulk/wullok), the word is used for a number of species in the family Buccinidae, especially Buccinum undatum, an edible European and Northern Atlantic species.

In the British Isles, the common name "dog whelk" is used for Nucella lapillus (family Muricidae) and for Nassarius species (family Nassariidae). Historically, they were a popular street food in Victorian London, typically located close to public houses and theatres.[5]

Scotland

[edit]

In Scotland, the word "whelk" is also used to mean the periwinkle (Littorina littorea), family Littorinidae.[6]

West Indies

[edit]

In the English-speaking islands of the West Indies, the word whelks or wilks (this 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, family Trochidae.

Asia

[edit]
Skewered whelks from Japan

In Japan, whelks (ツブ, 螺, tsubu) are frequently used in sashimi and sushi. In Vietnam, they are served in a dish called Bún ốc - vermicelli with sea snails. Golbaengi-muchim (골뱅이 무침) is a Korean dish consisting of whelks and with chili sauce in a salad with cold noodles. It has been a very popular side dish with alcohol for many generations.

Australia, New Zealand

[edit]

In Australia and New Zealand, species of the genus Cabestana (family Ranellidae) are called predatory whelks, and species of Penion (family Buccinidae) are called siphon whelks.

Some common examples

[edit]

See also

[edit]
  • Conch, another common name used for a wide variety of large sea snails or their shells

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Whelk". Merriam Webster Dictionary. Retrieved 26 Feb 2023.
  2. ^ "Snails and Slugs (Gastropoda)". www.molluscs.at.
  3. ^ "Nutrition and Calories in Whelk". recipeofhealth.com.
  4. ^ Bede's Ecclesiastical History of England by Saint the Venerable Bede (Book 1, Chapter 1).
  5. ^ Werner, Alex. (2011). Dickens's Victorian London : 1839-1901. Williams, Tony., Museum of London. London: Museum of London. p. 103. ISBN 978-0-09-194373-8. OCLC 754167835.
  6. ^ Multilingual Dictionary of Fish and Fish Products, prepared by the OECD, Paris, second edition, 1978
[edit]
Look up whelk in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Wikisource has the text of the 1905 New International Encyclopedia article "Whelk".
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Whelk&oldid=1237779799"