Neptune whelk

A gastropod snail of the family Bucconidae in the class Gastropoda of the phylum Mollusca. The egg capsule is a type of ground cherries. It is found in the Tohoku region, from the northern part of the Sea of ​​Japan to the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, and lives on the seabed at depths of 50 to 200 meters. The shell is about 15 cm high and 10 cm in diameter, with a conical spiral spire and a large swelling of the body layer. The shell surface is light brown, and the growth vein develops high and fin-like with a slightly angular shoulder. It also has spiral ribs. The shell opening is wide and yellow-orange egg-shaped, with a water vessel groove that extends slightly downward. The operculum is egg-shaped, leathery, thick, and brownish, with a nucleus at the bottom. The flesh is edible, but the salivary glands are poisonous, so if these parts are not removed, poisoning may occur. There are many similar species found from the North Pacific Ocean to the Bering Sea, all of which are collectively known as whelks. They are caught by setting whelk cages (a type of cage net, also known as bai cages) on the seabed.

[Takashi Okutani]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

軟体動物門腹足綱エゾバイ科の巻き貝。卵嚢(らんのう)はホオズキの1種。東北地方、日本海北部からオホーツク海に分布し、水深50～200メートルの海底にすむ。殻高15センチメートル、殻径10センチメートルぐらいで、螺塔(らとう)は円錐(えんすい)形に高まり、体層は大きく膨らむ。殻表は淡褐色で、成長脈はやや角張った肩でひれ状に高く発達する。また、螺肋(らろく)もある。殻口は黄橙(おうとう)色の広い卵形で、すこし下方に延びる水管溝がある。蓋(ふた)は卵形の革質で厚く、褐色を帯び、核は下端にある。肉は食用にするが、唾液腺(だえきせん)に毒があるので、その部分は除かないと中毒することがある。北太平洋からベーリング海にかけて近似種が多く、いずれもツブと総称され、海底にツブ籠(かご)（籠網の一種、バイ籠ともいう）を設置して漁獲される。

［奥谷喬司］

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