Hi Paul, there are many other species you can add to your list of mollusks
that can make you very sick.  For example, in the Pacific NW we had some
people become sick after eating Fusitriton oregonensis (Redfield, 1848).
The salivary glands contain a toxin.  These snails are quite large (commonly
4 inches long) and scuba divers often collect them.  They are in the family
Ranellidae.

In Asia (China and Taiwan), many different species of snails can become
toxic when certain bacteria colonize them and produce TTX (tetrodotoxin).
This toxin is quick acting and deadly (the same toxin sometime kills sushi
eaters in Japan when fugu is not properly prepared). Some of the snails
linked to illness include: Charonia sauliae, Tutufa lissostoma, Babylonia
japonica, Rapana rapiformis, R. venosa, Natica lineate, N. vitellus,
Polinices didyma, and several species of Nassariidae (Nassarius clathrata,
Zeuxis scalaris and Z. siquijorensis).

These are in addition to the PSP and mercury poisonings already discussed.

Bert Bartleson Olympia, WA. USA

-----Original Message-----
From: Conchologists List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Paul
Monfils
Sent: Saturday, November 25, 2006 10:04 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Giant clam sushi

Some mollusks are delicious as table fare, others so-so, and some apparently
not very palatable.  However, all that I know of are "edible", which is to
say, eating them wouldn't harm you, and could keep you alive if nothing else
was available.  My question is - are there any mollusks known to be
inedible, that is, toxic if eaten?  (Like berries - some delicious, some
so-so, some poisonous).  Of course, humans have probably tried eating all
known berries, and certainly have not tried eating all known molluscs, but
just thought I would ask if any toxic species are known.

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