A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

Overview

Its conical shell has a short spire, a large final whorl and an open siphonal canal. Colour and banding vary. Yellow, vase-shaped egg capsules are attached to hard surfaces in crevices.

It feeds mainly on barnacles and mussels. It reaches prey with an extendable proboscis that carries the mouth and radula. Prey thickness, temperature and season all influence feeding, which ties its behaviour to local shore conditions.

Morton's 2004–2008 Littlehampton survey recorded growth from about 25 to over 500 animals, increased egg production and declining imposex during pollution controls. This documents local historical recovery.

Conical shell with short spire and open siphonal canalVariable colour and bandingVase-shaped yellow egg capsulesPredator of barnacles and musselsExtendable proboscis bearing mouth and radula
01

Origins & earliest records

MarLIN attributes the scientific name to Linnaeus, 1758. This dates naming, not evolutionary origin; original type material was not examined.

02

Evidence & interpretation

MarLIN species account (description, habitat, distribution, biology, taxonomy); abstract of Morton 2009, Marine Pollution Bulletin 58:1530–1538, DOI 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2009.05.012.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

  1. 01
  2. 02

    Dog whelk (Nucella lapillus)

    · 2007

    Selected bibliography; MarLIN institutional species account.

Family, evolution & connections

Taxonomic classification

A hierarchy of classified groups, not a chain of direct ancestors.

Source note: The family comes from MarLIN. The class comes from the classification given in the Morton 2009 title. The packet supplies no scientific authority.

  1. familyMuricidae
  2. classGastropoda

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

  1. Institutional species accountDog whelk (Nucella lapillus)Research access: 2026-10-07
  2. Peer-reviewed article abstractRecovery from imposex by a population of the dogwhelk, Nucella lapillus (Gastropoda: Caenogastropoda), on the southeastern coast of England since May 2004: a 52-month studyResearch access: 2026-10-07

Image credits

A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

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