Veined rapa whelk
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| Rapana venosa Valenciennes, 1846 |
The Veined Rapa Whelk is a gastropod whelk native to the Sea of Japan. In their natural habitat these whelks are restricted to the East China Sea, the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea.
[edit] Invasive Species
It is believed that the young are being transported in the hulls of great ships through the ballast water, transfering them from The Sea of Japan around the world. Rapa whelks were first introduced into the Black Sea in the 1940s. Within a decade this mollusk spread along the Caucasian and Crimean coasts and moved into the Sea of Azov. Its range extended into the northwest Black Sea to the coastlines of Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey from 1959 to 1972 [1]. Rapas have also become established in the Adriatic and Aegean seas and have been found at a location along the southeast coast of South America. In the United States the first specimen was discovered in August of 1998 by members of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (or VIMS) Trawl Survey Group in Hampton Roads, Virginia [2]. In the lower Chesapeake Bay adult specimens as well as egg cases are continually being reported.
The thick shell of the rapa whelk is arguably its strongest advantage over native whelks. The thick structure of the rapa shell ensures that while rapas can feed on local whelks, local whelks are unable to feed on rapas. The relatively thick shell also means that predators to natives such as sea turtles are unable to feed on rapas and can only feed on local whelk populations. Once the rapa whelk reaches adulthood it exists unchecked in the local population free to consume and reproduce.
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