Physical Description

The Mulberry Whelk is characterized by the spiral rows of nodules on it’s shell which gives it the “mulberry” appearance. (Davey 2000) The nodules are in 5 spiral rows on the body whorl. The outer lip is thick and curved with four internal similarly sized teeth and cream coloured or cream with black and brown. (Beechy 2000) Inside the shell is the smooth and fairly straight columnella which has a white colour. (Davey 2000) The shell is heavy, conical, and sculptured with a long siphonal canal. (Ruppert et al. 2004)The interior of the aperture is a purple-grey colour and the external shell is grey with black nodules. (Beechy 2000) However, the external shell color can vary from a light and dark grey and even a shade of blue but still with dark nodules. The size is generally less than 20mm but can go up to 35mm. (Beechy 2000)

Figures 1 and Figure 2. The nodules that characterize the Mulberry Whelk can clearly be seen. (Beechy 2000)