Gastropods

southeast Bering Sea
Ancistrolepis eucosmius eucosmius (Dall, 1891)
Corded Whelk
subtidal, 62-1921m size to 35mm
SE Alaska to Sea of Okhotsk, possibly to Oregon
This species has regular spiral cords.

Swiftsure Bank, off Port Renfrew, BC off Cape Flattery, WA

Beringius eyerdami A.G. Smith, 1959
Eyerdam's Whelk
subtidal to 180m size to 12cm
central California to southern Alaska
This shell may be relatively smooth or have very defined spiral cording. This species was named after one of our club's charter members, Walter J. Eyerdam. A.G. Smith was also a club member, who joined during the first year of the club.

Beringius kennicottii (Dall, 1871)
Kennicott's Neptune
subtidal, 3-50m size to 15cm
northern Washington to southern Alaska
This species has subdued spiral cording and prominent, rounded axial ridges.
(synonyms - Jumala kennicottii, Beringius incisus, Volutopsis rotundus, Beringion kennicotti)

southeast Alaska Petersburg, AK

This specimen was labeled B. morchianum.

Buccinum glaciale Linnaeus, 1767
intertidal to subtidal size to 90mm
circumpolar, reaching south to southern Alaska, Japan, northeast Canada and northern Europe
This is occasionally found intertidally. It is a highly variable species which has resulted in a number of synonyms. It generally has two or three strong spiral cords and sometimes some axial ribbing. Spire height and shell proportions may vary. The color may be cream to brown to bluish-gray. The aperture is glossy and may be cream to purplish-brown.
(synonyms - Buccinum morchianum, Buccinum hancocki, Buccinum donavani, Buccinum ekblawi, Buccinum carinatum, Buccinum parallelum, Buccinum groenlandicum, Buccinum cnismatopleura)

off Kodiak Island, AK
Buccinum plectrum Stimpson, 1865
Sinuous Whelk
intertidal to 600m size to 10cm
northern Washington to northern Alaska;
circumboreal; northwest Atlantic
This is infrequently found intertidally. The axial ribs are wavy and only evident at the top of each whorl. It is light in color.

Buccinum baeri (Middendorff, 1848)
Baer's Buccinum
intertidal to subtidal southeast Alaska to central Alaska size to 25mm
This is somewhat common to find intertidally in Alaska. Look for it under large rocks. The shell may be smooth to lightly sculptured with spiral ridges. It has a thin brown periostracum over a light tan to dark grayish shell. The aperture is glossy reddish-brown.
It can be found in similar areas as Volutharpa ampullacea which has a similar appearance. This shell is sturdier with a taller spire and smaller aperture. See Volutharpa at bottom of page.

Lirabuccinum dirum (Reeve, 1846)
Dire Whelk *
intertidal to 35m southern California to northern Alaska size to 50mm
This is commonly found intertidally. The shell is usually gray to dark brown, but the odd orange one may be found. It has low spiral ridges and axial grooves which may extend the length of the shell or only the top portion of the whorls. On some beaches it frequently has the slipper shell, Crepidula adunca, attached.
(previous name - Searlesia dira)

off west coast of Vancouver Island, BC
Buccinum viridum Dall, 1889
subtidal to 757m size to 50mm
southern California to Bering Sea, both coasts
This is a delicate shell with very fine, closely spaced spiral lines. It is white with a thin, olive-brown periostracum.

offshore of Coos Bay, OR
Buccinum strigillatum Dall, 1891
subtidal size to 50mm
southern California to at least northern Washington
The shell is white with stiff, hairy periostracum. There are numerous low, spiral ridges

Petersburg, AK Petersburg, AK,very low intertidal

Neptunea lyrata (Gmelin, 1791)
Ridged Whelk
intertidal to1500m size to 20cm
southern California to northern Alaska
This is rarely found intertidally and then only in Alaska. The shell may be light to dark brown. Juveniles may be purplish-brown. It has prominent spiral cords with fine lines in the interspaces. Neptune species have distinctive looking egg masses. This species lays its eggs in flat, circular masses. These may be found in the low interidal even if the snail is not present.

La Perouse Bank, off northwest WA
Neptunea stilesi A.G. Smith, 1968
Inflated Whelk
subtidal, 60-250m size to 11cm
Washington to northern BC
This is a light colored shell with very low spiral cording. This is another of our local buccinids named after an early member, Everett C. Stiles, by another member, Allyn G. Smith.

off west coast of Vancouver Island, BC well offshore northwest WA

Neptunea amianta (Dall, 1890)
Alaska Neptune
subtidal to 757m size to12cm
southern California to southeast Alaska; Japan
This is a thin white shell with delicate spiral cords.

Latisipho hallii (Dall, 1873)
Hall's Whelk
intertidal to 1818m size to 60mm
southern California to northern Alaska
This is infrequently found intertidally at the northern end of its range. This species has a dark brown periostracum and little shell sculpture. It is one of the few readily identifiable north Pacific Colus.
(previous name - Colus hallii; synonyms - Helicofusus luridus)

offshore west coast Vancouver Island, BC
Neptunea humboltiana A.G. Smith, 1971
subtidal to at least 237m size to 16cm
California to BC
This shell has fine spiral cords. As it matures, it can develop a flared aperture.

off Kodiak Island, AK
Neptunea pribiloffensis (Dall, 1919)
Pribiloff Whelk
intertidal to 91m Oregon to Alaska size to 20cm
This species has a wide body whorl and spiral cording which can vary in size from specimen to specimen. It has a brown periostracum. The shell is quite variable. The snail lays egg masses which look like upright corncobs. see article "Of Corncobs and Flat Artichokes"
(synonyms - Neptunea intersculpta pribiloffensis, Neptunea meridionalis, Chrysodomus vinosus)

off Sitka, AK
Buccinum scalariforme
Moller, 1842
Ladder Whelk
subtidal, 4-100m size to 89mm
circumboreal, reaching south to Washington, Maine, northern Europe & Siberia
This is very similar in appearance to B. plectrum. The wavy, axial ribs on this species are smaller and more numerous. It also has spiral sculpture of microscopic, beaded threads.

Petersburg, AK Petersburg, AK, intertidal Petersburg, AK, intertidal, with eggs

Volutharpa ampullacea (Middendorff, 1848)
Big-Mouth Whelk
intertidal to subtidal British Columbia through Bering Sea; Japan & Korea size to 62mm
This is somewhat common to find intertidally in at least southeast Alaska. The shell is gray-brown with a thick, brown periostracum. The aperture is glossy. Even when disturbed, the animal quickly comes back out of its shell and reveals a large speckled body.
The specimens found in northeast Asia are technically a different subspecies.
(previous name - Bullia ampullacea)

Victoria Harbor, BC Victoria Harbor, BC

Neptunea tabulata (Baird, 1863)
Tabled Whelk
subtidal, 30-400m size to 11cm
southern California to southern Alaska; Japan
This is one Neptune that is easy to identify. It has deeply channeled shoulders and fine spiral ribs. The shell is light in color with a dark brown periostracum.

off Lund, BC
Neptunea phoenicea (Dall, 1907)
Phoenician Whelk
subtidal size to 11cm
central Oregon to southern Alaska
This shell is lightly corded and somewhat thin. The color is usually golden tan.
(synonyms - Neptunea staphylifius, Neptunea lyrata phoenicea)

The Neptuneas can be a difficult group to identify to species. Some of these may be forms of the same species. Many of them are under study and it is possible that some of these names will change in the future. This will likely occur slowly as they are predominantly deepwater species and hard to obtain for study.

Puget Sound, WA Possession Sound, WA

Neptunea smirnia (Dall, 1919)
Smirnia Neptune
subtidal, 100-183m size to 90mm
north Washington to south Alaska
The shell may be whitish to chocolate brown. The last two whorls are smooth but the early whorls may exhibit low, spiral cords.

Colus cf. griseus (Dall, 1889)
Gray Whelk
subtidal size to 30mm
range unknown, at least Washington
This is a rare species.
This specimen was labelled Colus griseus, but the identification may be in doubt. The Colus of the northeast Pacific are highly variable and not well studied. Positive identification of most of the species is extremely difficult.

Family Buccinidae, Colidae & Tudiclidae