Penion sulcatus

Penion sulcatus is a species of medium-to-large predatory marine snail or whelk, commonly called the northern siphon whelk or kākara nui in Māori, belonging to the true whelk family Buccinidae.

Penion sulcatus
Temporal range: Early Pliocene to Recent, 5.3–0.0 Ma
Dorsal view of a shell of Penion sulcatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Mollusca
Class:
Gastropoda
(unranked):
clade Caenogastropoda
clade Hypsogastropoda
clade Neogastropoda
Superfamily:
Buccinoidea
Family:
Buccinidae
Genus:
Penion
Species:
P. sulcatus
Binomial name
Penion sulcatus
(Lamarck, 1816)
Synonyms

Fusus sulcatus Lamarck, 1816
Fusus zelandicus Quoy and Gaimard, 1833
Fusus adustus Philippi, 1845

Description

Penion sulcatus is a medium-to-large species of Penion siphon whelk.[1][2] Shells are highly variable in sculpture and colouration, but shells are often dark with a white aperture.[3]


Example shells
  • A modern, beach worn shell
  • Shells fragments washed ashore at Hobbs Bay, Whangaparaoa

Distribution

Penion sulcatus is endemic to New Zealand.[1][2][4] The species is found of the entire North Island and northern South Island coasts.[2][4] The species has an abundant fossil record in the North Island of New Zealand.[5]

P. sulcatus is benthic and is common on soft-sediments on the continental shelf [6] or within the subtidal rocky shore environment.[3][2]

Ecology
Egg capsules of Penion sulcatus at Kawau Bay, Hauraki Gulf.

Penion sulcatus is a carnivore and is known to feed on mussels and Dosina zelandica zelandica.[3]

Human use

Shells found in middens of historic Māori settlements indicate that P. sulcatus may have been intentionally foraged as a food-source.[7][8]

References
  1. Powell A. W. B., New Zealand Mollusca, William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1979 ISBN 0-00-216906-1
  2. Vaux, Felix; Crampton, James S.; Marshall, Bruce A.; Trewick, Steven A.; Morgan-Richards, Mary (2017). "Geometric morphometric analysis reveals that the shells of male and female siphon whelks Penion chathamensis are the same size and shape". Molluscan Research. 37 (3): 194–201. doi:10.1080/13235818.2017.1279474.
  3. Willan, R.C., de C. Cook, S., Spencer, H.G., Creese, R.G., O’Shea, S., Jackson, G.D. Phylum Mollusca. In: de C. Cook, S.C. (eds.), New Zealand Coastal Marine Invertebrates 1, 406 – 407. Canterbury University Press, Christchurch, New Zealand ISBN 978-1877257-60-5
  4. Vaux, Felix; Hills, Simon F.K.; Marshall, Bruce A.; Trewick, Steven A.; Morgan-Richards, Mary (2017). "A phylogeny of Southern Hemisphere whelks (Gastropoda: Buccinulidae) and concordance with the fossil record". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 114 (2017): 367–381. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2017.06.018. PMID 28669812.
  5. Beu, Alan G.; Maxwell, P.A. (1990). Cenozoic Mollusca of New Zealand. New Zealand Geological Survey Bulletin. 58. Lower Hutt, New Zealand: New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. ISSN 0114-2283.
  6. Dell, R.K.. 1962. New Zealand Marine Provinces - do they exist? Tuatara, 10: 43 - 52. Online Copy courtesy of New Zealand Electronic Text Collection
  7. Green, R.C.; Pullar, W.A. (1960). "Excavations at Orongo Bay, Gisborne". The Journal of the Polynesian Society. 69 (4): 332–353.
  8. Allen, Melinda S. (2012). "Molluscan foraging efficiency and patterns of mobility amongst foraging agriculturalists: a case study from northern New Zealand". Journal of Archaeological Science. 39 (2012): 295–307. doi:10.1016/j.jas.2011.09.013.
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