Lightning Whelk
Sinistrofulgur perversum (Linnaeus, 1758)
The Lightning Whelk is a common shell on S. Hutchinson Island beaches but shells in very good condition are difficult to find. Some are very large-- growing up to 15". The shell opening is on the left.
Large Whelk from S. Hutchinson Island
Lightning whelks are known for their colors and wavy brown designs.
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Sinistrofulgur perversum
Busycon-contrarium.jpg
Sinistrofulgur perversum found in France, with the operculum in place
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
(unranked): clade Caenogastropoda
clade Hypsogastropoda
clade Neogastropoda
Superfamily: Buccinoidea
Family: Busyconidae
Genus: Sinistrofulgur
Species: S. perversum
Binomial name
Sinistrofulgur perversum
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms
Busycon (Sinistrofulgur) perversum (Linnaeus, 1758)
Busycon perversum (Linnaeus, 1758)
Fulgur gibbosum Conrad, 1853
Murex perversus Linnaeus, 1758 (original combination)
Pyrula kieneri Philippi, 1848
The lightning whelk, scientific name Sinistrofulgur perversum,[1] is an edible species of very large predatory sea snail or whelk, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Busyconidae, the busycon whelks. This species has a left-handed or sinistral shell. It eats mostly bivalves.
There has been some disagreement about the correct scientific name for this species, which has been confused with Sinistrofulgur sinistrum Hollister, 1958, and Busycon contrarium (Conrad, 1840), which is an exclusively fossil species.[1][2]
Distribution
This marine species is native to the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and southeastern North America, from New Jersey south to Florida and the Gulf states.
Habitat
Lightning whelks can be found in the sandy or muddy substrate of shallow embayments.
Life habits
This whelk species feeds primarily on marine bivalves, ingesting their soft parts using its proboscis.
Sinistrofulgur perversum and Busycon carica
This species shares many characteristics with another species, the knobbed whelk Busycon carica, but there are some important differences:[citation needed]
Lightning whelks are sinistral in coiling, whereas knobbed whelks are dextral
Lightning whelks have a lower spire than the knobbed whelk
The knobs of the lightning whelk are usually less well-developed than those of the knobbed whelk
Lightning whelks are diurnal, while knobbed whelks are active both day and night
Lightning whelks prefer to stay in deeper waters than the knobbed whelks when feeding on mud flats
Human use
For thousands of years Native Americans used these animals as food, and used their shells for tools, ornaments, containers and to make jewelry, i.e. shell gorgets.[3] They may have believed the sinistral nature of the lightning whelk shell made it a sacred object.
The lightning whelk is the State Shell of Texas.
Gallery
Live lightning whelk in North Carolina
Abapertural view of a shell
Egg cases
Egg cases in a museum
Range
References
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.
Sartori, A. (2014). Busycon contrarium (Conrad, 1840). World Register of Marine Species. Accessed on 2014-06-06
Starr F. 1897. A Shell Gorget from Mexico. Proceeding Davenport Academy of Natural Sciences, volume VI. 173-178.
Marquardt, W.M. 1992 Shell Artifacts from the Caloosahatchee Area. In Culture and Environment in the Domain of the Calusa, edited by W. H. Marquardt, pp. 191–228. Institute of Archaeology and Paleoenvironmental Studies, Monograph 1. University of Florida, Gainesville.
Paine, Robert T. 1962 Ecological Diversification in Sympatric Gastropods of the Genus Busycon. Evolution 16(4):515-523.
Pulley, T.E. 1959 Busycon perversum (Linné) and some related species. Rice Institute Pamphlet, 46:70-89.
Wise, J.B., G. Harasewych, & R. Dillon. 2004. Population divergence in the sinistral Busycon whelks of North America, with special reference to the east Florida ecotone. Marine Biology, 145:1163-1179; SMSFP Contrib.538.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sinistrofulgur perversum.
Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Snails of the Sea
Texas Parks and Wildlife, lightning whelks