''Sinistrofulgur perversum'', the lightning whelk, is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of very large predatory

sea snail Sea snails are slow-moving marine (ocean), marine gastropod Mollusca, molluscs, usually with visible external shells, such as whelk or abalone. They share the Taxonomic classification, taxonomic class Gastropoda with slugs, which are distinguishe ...

or whelk, a marine

gastropod Gastropods (), commonly known as slugs and snails, belong to a large Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, freshwater, and fro ...

mollusc Mollusca is a phylum of protostome, protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant taxon, extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum ...

in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Busyconidae, the busycon whelks. This species has a left-handed or sinistral shell. It eats mostly

bivalve Bivalvia () or bivalves, in previous centuries referred to as the Lamellibranchiata and Pelecypoda, is a class (biology), class of aquatic animal, aquatic molluscs (marine and freshwater) that have laterally compressed soft bodies enclosed b ...

s. 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.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
(PDF; 673 kB)''. Marine Biology 145, pp. 1167–1179. File:Sinistrofulgur perversum 01.jpg, Form with extensions File:Sinistrofulgur perversum 02.jpg, Form without extensions

Distribution

This marine species is native to the Mid-Atlantic region of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and southeastern

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

, from

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

south to

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

and the

Gulf A gulf is a large inlet from an ocean or their seas into a landmass, larger and typically (though not always) with a narrower opening than a bay (geography), bay. The term was used traditionally for large, highly indented navigable bodies of s ...

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

s, ingesting their soft parts using its

proboscis A proboscis () is an elongated appendage from the head of an animal, either a vertebrate or an invertebrate. In invertebrates, the term usually refers to tubular arthropod mouthparts, mouthparts used for feeding and sucking. In vertebrates, a pr ...

''Sinistrofulgur perversum'' and ''Busycon carica''

This species shares many characteristics with another species, the knobbed whelk '' Busycon carica'', but there are some important differences: *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. For example, the Indigenous peoples of Florida used their shells as hammers, axes, and cups; Floridan archaeologists have likened them to Swiss Army knives for their versatility. They may have believed the sinistral nature of the lightning whelk shell made it a sacred object. The Minnesota Woman (lived c. 6000 BCE in modern

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

) wore a ''Sinistrofulgur perversum'' shell. The lightning whelk is the " State Seashell of Texas".

Gallery

File:Core Banks - Whelk - 1.JPG, Live lightning whelk in North Carolina File:Welk2.jpg, Abapertural view of a shell File:Busycon sinistrum (egg case).jpg, Egg cases File:Busycon contrarium egg capsules - Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History - DSC06673.JPG, Egg cases in a museum

References

* 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

Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Snails of the Sea

Texas Parks and Wildlife, lightning whelks
{{Taxonbar, from=Q30918058, from2=Q55147211, from3=Q12902713, from4=Q106103085 perversum Commercial molluscs Seafood in Native American cuisine Gastropods described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Symbols of Texas