''Haustellum tweedianum'', the Tweed murex, is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

sea snail Sea snails are slow-moving marine (ocean), marine gastropod Mollusca, molluscs, usually with visible external shells, such as whelk or abalone. They share the Taxonomic classification, taxonomic class Gastropoda with slugs, which are distinguishe ...

, a marine

gastropod Gastropods (), commonly known as slugs and snails, belong to a large Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, freshwater, and fro ...

mollusc Mollusca is a phylum of protostome, protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant taxon, extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum ...

in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Muricidae Muricidae is a large and varied taxonomic family of small to large predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks, commonly known as murex snails or rock snails. With over 1,700 living species, the Muricidae represent almost 10% of the Neog ...

, the murex snails or rock snails. They have sexual reproduction.

Description

Medium shell, creamy white to brown, sometimes tinged with pink and ornamented with brown blotches. Three prominent, rounded varicies per whorl, usually spineless, but occasionally with one or two sharp spines at the base of the varicies and anteriorly on the canal. Sculptured with gemmate, spiral striae which are occasionally yellowish. Aperture white, outer lip sharply, minutely dentate. The shell of an adult specimen varies between 50 mm and 80 mm.

Distribution

This marine species can be found off South

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

and

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, Australia.

References

* Macpherson, J.H. 1959. ''New gastropods from North Australia''. Memoirs of the National Museum of Victoria, Melbourne 24: 51–57, 1 pl. * Macpherson, J.H. 1962. ''New name for Murex espinosus Macp''. Memoirs of the National Museum of Victoria 25: 176 * Ponder, W.F. & Vokes, E.H. 1988. ''A revision of the Indo-West Pacific fossil and recent species of Murex s.s. and Haustellum (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Muricidae).'' Records of the Australian Museum 8: 1–160 * Wilson, B. 1994. ''Australian Marine Shells. Prosobranch Gastropods.'' Kallaroo, WA : Odyssey Publishing Vol. 2 370 pp. * Merle D., Garrigues B. & Pointier J.-P. (2011) ''Fossil and Recent Muricidae of the world. Part Muricinae''. Hackenheim: Conchbooks. 648 pp. page(s): 69 * Houart R. (2014). ''Living Muricidae of the world. Muricinae. Murex, Promurex, Haustellum, Bolinus, Vokesimurex and Siratus.'' Harxheim: ConchBooks. 197 pp.

External links

Ponder W.F. & Vokes E.H. (1988) A revision of the Indo-West Pacific fossil and Recent species of Murex s.s. and Haustellum (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Muricidae). Records of the Australian Museum suppl.8: 1–160
* tweedianum Gastropods of Australia Gastropods described in 1962 {{Muricidae-stub