Malacology
Malacology is the study of mollusks. This includes animals like octopus, snails, slugs, and clams. It is the second largest phylum of animals, making them one of the most successful groups on the planet. There are over 80,000 described species of mollusks with many more left to be discovered. Mullusca is composed of 8 recognized classes including Cephalopoda, Gastropoda, Polyplacophora, Scaphapoda, Monoplacophorans, the Aplacophorans, Caudofoveata and Solenogastres, and Bivalvia.
Glacial Whelk
Linnaeus, 1761
Buccinum glaciale
Class:
Gastropoda
Order:
Neogastropoda
Family:
Buccinidae
Image Voucher:
ANSP 226634
Shell Information
Maximum size (mm): 80
Dextral
Chirality:
The glacial whelk has 4-5 whorls and tall blunt spire. These whorls have a series of nodes that make up their shoulder. The nodes fade to a more consistent sharp shoulder on the body whorl. The body whorl also has a second sharp shoulder aligned with the top of the aperture. It has spiral ribs that become more faint at the top of the spire. This shell is typically white to and orange-tan color.
Description:
Ecological Information
Distribution:
Depth (m):
Greenland to Newfoundland
0 to 119 meters
Diet:
Carnivore
Habitat:
Marine
Misc. Facts
Citations
MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Buccinum glaciale Linnaeus, 1761. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=138864 on 2021-06-23
Rosenberg, G. 2009. Malacolog 4.1.1: A Database of Western Atlantic Marine Mollusca. [WWW database (version 4.1.1)] URL http://www.malacolog.org/