''Murex'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

of medium to large sized

predatory Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill t ...

tropical sea snails. These are

carnivorous A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose food and energy requirements derive from animal tissues (mainly muscle, fat and other ...

marine gastropod molluscs in the family

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 about 1,600 living species, the Muricidae represent almost 10% of the Ne ...

, commonly called "murexes" or "rock snails".Houart, R.; Gofas, S. (2010). Murex Linnaeus, 1758. In: Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S.; Rosenberg, G. (2010) World Marine Mollusca database. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=138196 on 2011-04-09 The common name murex is still used for many species in the family

which were originally given the Latin generic name ''Murex'' in the past, but have more recently been regrouped into different newer genera. The word ''murex'' was used by

Aristotle Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical Greece, Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatet ...

in reference to these kinds of snails, thus making it one of the oldest classical seashell names still in use by the scientific community.

Fossil records

This genus is known in the fossil records from the

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of ...

to the Quaternary (age range: from 125.45 to 0.0 million years ago). Fossils of species within this genus have been found all over the world. There are about 25 known extinct species.Fossilworks
/ref> Murex altispira 001

Distribution

''Murex'' is solely an

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

genus, as demonstrated by Ponder & Vokes (1988). The species from the western

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

that were formerly considered to belong to the genus ''Murex'' are now placed in the genus '' Haustellum''.

Habitat

Most ''Murex'' species live in the intertidal or shallow subtidal zone, among rocks and corals.

Shell description

This genus includes many showy members, their elongate shells highly sculptured with spines or fronds. The inner surfaces of their ornate shells are often brightly colored.

Human use

Costly and labor-intensive dyes

Tyrian purple Tyrian purple ( grc, πορφύρα ''porphúra''; la, purpura), also known as Phoenician red, Phoenician purple, royal purple, imperial purple, or imperial dye, is a reddish-purple natural dye. The name Tyrian refers to Tyre, Lebanon. It is ...

(or

royal purple Tyrian purple ( grc, πορφύρα ''porphúra''; la, purpura), also known as Phoenician red, Phoenician purple, royal purple, imperial purple, or imperial dye, is a reddish-purple natural dye. The name Tyrian refers to Tyre, Lebanon. It is ...

) and tekhelet were historically made by the ancient

Phoenicians Phoenicia () was an ancient thalassocratic civilization originating in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily located in modern Lebanon. The territory of the Phoenician city-states extended and shrank throughout their hist ...

and

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

respectively, using mucus from the hypobranchial gland of two species commonly referred to as "murex", ''Murex brandaris'' and ''Murex trunculus'', which are the older names for ''

Haustellum brandaris ''Bolinus brandaris'' (originally called ''Murex brandaris'' by Linnaeus and also Haustellum brandaris), and commonly known as the purple dye murex or the spiny dye-murex, is a species of medium-sized predatory sea snail, an edible marine gastropo ...

'' ('' Bolinus brandaris'') and '' Hexaplex trunculus'' (''Phyllonatus trunculus''). This dye is a rare animal-produced

organobromine compound Organobromine compounds, also called organobromides, are organic compounds that contain carbon bonded to bromine. The most pervasive is the naturally produced bromomethane. One prominent application of synthetic organobromine compounds is the u ...

, which the snails make using a specific bromoperoxidase enzyme that operates on dissolved bromide in sea water. This dye was used in

royal Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a ...

robes, other kinds of special

ceremonial A ceremony (, ) is a unified ritualistic event with a purpose, usually consisting of a number of artistic components, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan origin, via the Latin '' caerimonia''. Church and civil (secular ...

or ritual garments, or garments indicating high rank. It is hypothesised that the dye was the same dye as that which featured prominently in the ancient Temple in Jerusalem, the clothing of the High Priest (or

Kohen Gadol High Priest ( he, כהן גדול, translit=Kohen Gadol or ; ) was the title of the chief religious official of Judaism from the early post-Exilic times until the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 CE. Previousl ...

) officiating there; it is sometimes still used by Jews today in the ritual fringes (

tzitzit ''Tzitzit'' ( he, ''ṣīṣīṯ'', ; plural ''ṣīṣiyyōṯ'', Ashkenazi: '; and Samaritan: ') are specially knotted ritual fringes, or tassels, worn in antiquity by Israelites and today by observant Jews and Samaritans. are usually ...

) on four-cornered garments. A consensus has yet to be reached regarding the Biblical source of the "blue" dye.

Species

The genus ''Murex'', as originally defined by

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, t ...

, encompassed many taxa that are now placed elsewhere in the superfamily

Muricoidea Neogastropoda is an order of sea snails, both freshwater and marine gastropod molluscs. Description The available fossil record of Neogastropoda is relatively complete, and supports a widely accepted evolutionary scenario of an Early Cre ...

. During the 19th century, the definition of ''Murex'' was restricted by Lamarck and his contemporaries first to species in the family Muricidae, and then was limited even further to the subfamilies

Muricinae Muricinae is a taxonomic subfamily of predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks within the large family Muricidae, the murex snails and rock snails. The Muricinae represent approximately 780 valid names of fossil (378) and recent (400) ...

and

Ocenebrinae Ocenebrinae is a taxonomic subfamily of predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks. This subfamily is within the large family Muricidae, which are commonly known as the murex and rock snails. In one other version of current gastropod ...

. Malacologists of the 19th century including Kiener,

Reeve Reeve may refer to: Titles *Reeve (Canada), an elected chief executive of some counties, townships, and equivalents *Reeve (England), an official elected annually by the serfs to supervise lands for a lord *High-reeve, a title taken by some Englis ...

, Küster & Kobelt and Sowerby treated all muricoid forms as belonging to ''Murex''. This is the main reason why ''Murex'' has so many synonyms. The

World Register of Marine Species The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive list of names of marine organisms. Content The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scientific speciali ...

(WoRMS), lists the following species with accepted names within the genus ''Murex''. The subgenera are considered alternate representations. * ''

Murex acanthostephes ''Murex acanthostephes'' is a species of large predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae Muricidae is a large and varied taxonomic family of small to large predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks, c ...

'' Watson, 1883 * ''

Murex aduncospinosus ''Murex aduncospinosus'', also known as the Short-spined murex, is a species of large predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae Muricidae is a large and varied taxonomic family of small to large predatory sea ...

'' G.B. Sowerby II, 1841: * ''

Murex africanus ''Murex africanus'' is a species of large predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae Muricidae is a large and varied taxonomic family of small to large predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks, commonly kn ...

'' Ponder & Vokes, 1988 * ''

Murex altispira ''Murex altispira'', also known as the Caltrop murex, is a species of large predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae Muricidae is a large and varied taxonomic family of small to large predatory sea snails, mari ...

'' Ponder & Vokes, 1988

Caltrop murex A caltrop (also known as caltrap, galtrop, cheval trap, galthrap, galtrap, calthrop, jackrock or crow's foot''Battle of Alesia'' (Caesar's conquest of Gaul in 52 BC), Battlefield Detectives program, (2006), rebroadcast: 2008-09-08 on History Cha ...

* ''

Murex antelmei ''Murex antelmei'' is a species of large predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae Muricidae is a large and varied taxonomic family of small to large predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks, commonly kn ...

'' Viader, 1938 * ''

Murex brevispina ''Murex brevispina'', also known as the Short-spined murex, is a species of large predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae Muricidae is a large and varied taxonomic family of small to large predatory sea snails, ...

'' Lamarck, 1822

Short-spined murex ''Murex brevispina'', also known as the Short-spined murex, is a species of large predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae Muricidae is a large and varied taxonomic family of small to large predatory sea snails, ...

* ''

Murex carbonnieri ''Murex carbonnieri'', also known as Carbonnier's murex, is a species of large predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Muricidae, the rock snails or murex snails.Bouchet P. & Rocroi J.-P. (Ed.); Frýda J., Hausdorf B., Pon ...

'' (Jousseaume, 1881) Carbonnier's murex * ''

Murex concinnus ''Murex concinnus'' is a species of large predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae Muricidae is a large and varied taxonomic family of small to large predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks, commonly k ...

'' Reeve, 1845 * ''

Murex coppingeri ''Murex coppingeri'' is a species of large predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), ...

'' E. A. Smith, 1884 * ''

Murex djarianensis ''Murex djarianensis'' is a species of large predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae Muricidae is a large and varied taxonomic family of small to large predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks, com ...

'' Martin, 1895 ** ''

Murex djarianensis poppei ''Murex'' is a genus of medium to large sized predatory tropical sea snails. These are carnivorous marine gastropod molluscs in the family Muricidae, commonly called "murexes" or "rock snails".Houart, R.; Gofas, S. (2010). Murex Linnaeus, ...

'' (synonym : ''Murex (Murex) poppei'' Houart, 1979) * ''

Murex echinoides ''Murex'' is a genus of medium to large sized predatory tropical sea snails. These are carnivorous marine gastropod molluscs in the family Muricidae, commonly called "murexes" or "rock snails".Houart, R.; Gofas, S. (2010). Murex Linnaeus, 1758 ...

'' Houart, 2011 * '' Murex falsitribulus'' Ponder & Vokes, 1988 * '' Murex forskoehlio'' Röding, 1798 * '' Murex huangi'' Houart, 2010 * '' Murex hystricosus'' Houart & Dharma, 2001 * ''

Murex indicus ''Murex'' is a genus of medium to large sized predatory tropical sea snails. These are carnivorous marine gastropod molluscs in the family Muricidae, commonly called "murexes" or "rock snails".Houart, R.; Gofas, S. (2010). Murex Linnaeus, 1758. ...

'' Houart, 2011 * ''

Murex kerslakae ''Murex kerslakae'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails. Description Distribution This marine species occurs off Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , imag ...

'' Ponder & Vokes, 1988 * ''

Murex megapex ''Murex megapex'' is a species of large predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), aff ...

'' Neubert, 1998 * † '' Murex noae'' Holten, 1802 * '' Murex occa'' G.B. Sowerby II, 1834

Harrowed murex In agriculture, a harrow is a farm implement used for surface tillage. It is used after ploughing for breaking up and smoothing out the surface of the soil. The purpose of harrowing is to break up clods and to provide a soil structure, ca ...

* '' Murex pecten'' Lightfoot, 1786 ': Venus comb murex ** '' Murex pecten soelae'' * ''

Murex philippinensis ''Murex philippinensis'' is a species of large predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae Muricidae is a large and varied taxonomic family of small to large predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks, common ...

'' Parth, 1994 * ''

Murex protocrassus ''Murex protocrassus'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails. Description Distribution This marine species occurs off New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = ...

'' Houart, 1990 * ''

Murex queenslandicus ''Murex queenslandicus'' is a species of large predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda ( ...

'' Ponder & Vokes, 1988 * ''

Murex salomonensis ''Murex salomonensis'' is a species of large predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae Muricidae is a large and varied taxonomic family of small to large predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks, commonly ...

'' Parth, 1994 * ''

Murex scolopax ''Murex scolopax'', also known as the false venus comb or woodcock murex, is a species of large predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae Muricidae is a large and varied taxonomic family of small to large predato ...

'' Dillwyn, 1817

False venus comb False or falsehood may refer to: *False (logic), the negation of truth in classical logic *Lie or falsehood, a type of deception in the form of an untruthful statement * false (Unix), a Unix command * ''False'' (album), a 1992 album by Gorefest * ...

, woodcock murex * ''

Murex somalicus ''Murex somalicus'' is a species of large predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), af ...

'' Parth, 1990 * ''

Murex spectabilis ''Murex spectabilis'' is a species of large predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae Muricidae is a large and varied taxonomic family of small to large predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks, commonly ...

'' Ponder & Vokes, 1988 * ''

Murex spicatus ''Murex spicatus'' is a species of large predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), aff ...

'' Ponder & Vokes, 1988 * ''

Murex spinastreptos ''Murex'' is a genus of medium to large sized predatory tropical sea snails. These are carnivorous marine gastropod molluscs in the family Muricidae, commonly called "murexes" or "rock snails".Houart, R.; Gofas, S. (2010). Murex Linnaeus, 1758 ...

'' Houart, 2010 * '' Murex surinamensis'' Okutani, 1982 * ''

Murex tenuirostrum ''Murex tenuirostrum'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails. ;Subspecies: * ''Murex tenuirostrum africanus'' Ponder & E. H. Vokes, 1988: synonym of ''Murex africanus'' Po ...

'' Lamarck, 1822 * '' Murex ternispina'' Lamarck, 1822 * '' Murex trapa'' Roding, 1798 Rare-spined murex * ''

Murex tribulus ''Murex tribulus'', the caltrop murex, is a species of large predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Muricidae Muricidae is a large and varied taxonomic family of small to large predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mol ...

, 1758, 1758:

** '' Murex tribulus spicatus'' ** '' Murex tribulus tenuirostrum'' ** '' Murex tribulus tenuirostrum africanus'' ** '' Murex tribulus ternispina'' * ''

Murex troscheli ''Murex troscheli'', also known as Troschel's murex, is a species of large predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae Muricidae is a large and varied taxonomic family of small to large predatory sea snails, marin ...

'' Lischke, 1868 Troschel's murex ;Species mentioned as species in current use in the Indo-Pacific Molluscan Database (OBIS) : * ''

Murex singaporensis ''Murex (Murex) singaporensis'' is a species of large predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affin ...

'' A.Adams, 1853 ;Species brought into synonymy : * ''Murex aedonius'' Watson, 1896: synonym of ''

Coralliophila aedonia ''Coralliophila aedonia'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails. The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) states that the subgenus ''Murex'' (''Pseudomurex'') has bee ...

'' (Watson, 1885) * ''Murex afer'' Gmelin, 1791: synonym of ''

Afer afer Afer may refer to: * Afer, an individual of the Afri tribe after which the continent of Africa is probably named * Afer, a Roman cognomen in reference to Africa, used by several people listed below; see also list of Roman cognomina * Afer ventus, ...

'' (Gmelin, 1791) * ''Murex alocatus'': synonym of ''

Pterymarchia barclayana ''Pterymarchia barclayana'' is a species of large predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity ...

'' (H. Adams, 1873) * ''Murex antillarum'' :

Antilles murex The Antilles (; gcf, label= Antillean Creole, Antiy; es, Antillas; french: Antilles; nl, Antillen; ht, Antiy; pap, Antias; Jamaican Patois: ''Antiliiz'') is an archipelago bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the south and west, the Gulf of M ...

: synonym of ''

Siratus articulatus ''Siratus articulatus'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class co ...

'' (Reeve, 1845) * ''Murex argo'' Clench & Farfante, 1945: synonym of '' Chicoreus (Triplex) spectrum'' (Reeve, 1846) * ''Murex belcheri'' Hinds, 1843 : synonym of ''

Forreria belcheri ''Forreria belcheri'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae Muricidae is a large and varied taxonomic family of small to large predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks, commonly known as murex ...

'' (Hinds, 1843) * ''Murex bellus'' Reeve, 1845: synonym of ''

Vokesimurex bellus ''Vokesimurex'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails. Species Species within the genus ''Vokesimurex'' include: * ''Vokesimurex aliquantulus'' Houart & Héros, 2015 * '' ...

'' (Reeve, 1845) * ''Murex blakeanus'' Vokes, 1967: synonym of ''

Vokesimurex blakeanus ''Vokesimurex blakeanus'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae Muricidae is a large and varied taxonomic family of small to large predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks, commonly known as mu ...

'' (Vokes, 1967) * ''Murex brandaris'' Linnaeus, 1758: synonym of '' Bolinus brandaris'' (Linnaeus, 1758) * ''Murex canaliculatus'' Linnaeus, 1758: synonym of ''

Busycotypus canaliculatus ''Busycotypus canaliculatus'', commonly known as the channeled whelk, is a very large predatory sea snail, a marine prosobranch gastropod, a busycon whelk, belonging to the family Busyconidae.Fraussen, K.; Rosenberg, G. (2012). Busycotypus can ...

'' (Linnaeus, 1758) * ''Murex capitellum'' Linnaeus, 1758: synonym of ''

Vasum capitellum ''Vasum capitellum'', common name the helmet vase, is a species of medium to large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Turbinellidae. MolluscaBase eds. (2023). MolluscaBase. Vasum capitellum (Linnaeus, 1758). Accessed through: Wo ...

'' (Linnaeus, 1758) * ''Murex corallinus'' Scacchi, 1836: synonym of '' Ocinebrina aciculata'' (Lamarck, 1822) * ''Murex corneus'' Linnaeus, 1758: synonym of '' Euthria cornea'' (Linnaeus, 1758) * ''Murex coronatus'' Born, 1778: synonym of ''

Pseudovertagus aluco ''Pseudovertagus aluco'', common name aluco vertagus or Cuming's cerith, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cerithiidae, the ceriths. Distribution This species is present in the Indo-Pacific from the Eastern A ...

'' (Linnaeus, 1758) * ''Murex edwardsii'': synonym of '' Ocinebrina edwardsii'' (Payraudeau, 1826) * ''Murex garciai'' Petuch, 1987: synonym of ''

Vokesimurex garciai ''Vokesimurex'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails. Species Species within the genus ''Vokesimurex'' include: * '' Vokesimurex aliquantulus'' Houart & Héros, 2015 * '' ...

'' (Petuch, 1987) * ''Murex gubbi'' Reeve, 1849: synonym of '' Chicocenebra gubbi'' (Reeve, 1849) * ''Murex inconspicuus'' G.B. Sowerby II, 1841: synonym of '' Ocinebrina aciculata'' (Lamarck, 1822) * ''Murex intertextus'' Helbling, 1779: synonym of''

Cumia reticulata ''Cumia reticulata'',Bouchet, P. (2010). Cumia reticulata (Blainville, 1829). In: MolluscaBase (2017). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=527497 on 2017-11-15 common name ...

'' * ''Murex jickelii'' Tapparone Canefri, 1875: synonym of ''

Naquetia jickelii ''Naquetia'' is a genus of medium-sized sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Muricidae, the rock snails or murex snails.Houart, R. (2010). Naquetia Jousseaume, 1880. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www ...

'' (Tapparone Canefri, 1875) * ''Murex lindajoycae'' Petuch, 1987: synonym of ''

Vokesimurex lindajoycae ''Vokesimurex'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails. Species Species within the genus ''Vokesimurex'' include: * ''Vokesimurex aliquantulus'' Houart & Héros, 2015 * '' ...

'' (Petuch, 1987) * ''Murex longicornis'' Dunker, 1864: synonym of '' Chicoreus longicornis'' (Dunker, 1864) * ''Murex maroccensis'' Gmelin, 1791: synonym of

Fusinus maroccensis ''Fusinus maroccensis'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Fasciolariidae, the spindle snails, the tulip snails and their allies. Description Distribution ''Fusinus maroccensis'' is found mainly in Europe ...

* ''Murex monodon'' Sowerby, 1825: synonym of '' Chicoreus (Chicoreus) cornucervi'' (Röding, 1798) * ''Murex nassa'' Gmelin, 1791: synonym of ''

Leucozonia nassa ''Leucozonia nassa'', common name: the chestnut nassa, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Fasciolariidae, the spindle snails, the tulip snails and their allies. Description The shell size varies between 22 ...

'' (Gmelin, 1791) * ''Murex nebula'' Montagu, 1803: synonym of ''

Bela nebula ''Bela nebula'', also known as the nebular needle conch is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Mangeliidae. It is the type species of the genus ''Bela''. Taxonomy ''Bela nebula'' forms probably a complex, to which '' ...

'' (Montagu, 1803) * ''Murex peritus'' Hinds, 1844a: synonym of '' Favartia (Favartia) perita'' (Hinds, 1844) * ''Murex pistacia'' Reeve, 1845: synonym of '' Ocinebrina aciculata'' (Lamarck, 1822) * ''Murex purpuroides'' Dunker: synonym of ''

Vaughtia purpuroides ''Vaughtia purpuroides'' is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Muricidae Muricidae is a large and varied taxonomic family of small to large predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks, commonly known as mu ...

'' (Reeve, 1845) * ''Murex recurvirostris'': synonym of ''

Vokesimurex recurvirostrum ''Vokesimurex recurvirostrum'', common name : the bent-beak murex, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails. Description The shell size varies between 36 mm and 88 ...

'' (Broderip, 1833) * ''Murex rota'' Sowerby: synonym of '' Homalocantha anatomica'' (Perry, 1811) * ''Murex rubidus'': synonym of ''

Vokesimurex rubidus ''Vokesimurex rubidus'', common name : the rose murex, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca calle ...

'' (F.C. Baker, 1897) * ''Murex serratospinosus'' Dunker, 1883: synonym of '' Vokesimurex mindanaoensis'' (G.B. Sowerby II, 1841) * ''Murex subaciculatus'' Locard, 1886: synonym of '' Ocinebrina aciculata'' (Lamarck, 1822) * ''Murex taxus'' Dillwyn, 1817: synonym of ''

Clavatula taxea ''Clavatula taxea'', common name the yew turrid, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Clavatulidae. Description The size of an adult shell varies between 50 mm and 75 mm. The color of the shell is yello ...

'' (Röding, 1798) * † ''Murex textilis'' Brocchi, 1814: synonym of † ''

Rimosodaphnella textilis ''Rimosodaphnella textilis'' is an extinct species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Raphitomidae. Description The shell reaches a length of 16 mm, its diameter of 5.5 mm.The shell is subulately turreted, longitud ...

'' (Brocchi, 1814) * ''Murex triqueter'': synonym of''

Naquetia triqueter ''Naquetia triqueter'', common name : the three-angled murex, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails. Description The shell size varies between 50 mm and 75 mm ...

'' (Born, 1778) * ''Murex tulipa'' Linnaeus, 1758: synonym of '' Fasciolaria tulipa'' (Linnaeus, 1758) * ''Murex turbinellus'' Linnaeus, 1758: synonym of ''

Vasum turbinellus ''Vasum turbinellus'' is a species of gastropods belonging to the family Turbinellidae. The species is found in Western Africa, Indian Ocean, Malesia, Australia. References Turbinellidae {{Improve categories, date=February 2022 ...

'' (Linnaeus, 1758) * ''Murex vittatus'' Broderip, 1833: synonym of '' Favartia (Favartia) vittata'' (Broderip, 1833)

References

* Merle, D., Garrigues, B. & Pointier, J.-P. 2011. Fossil and Recent Muricidae of the World, Part Muricinae. 648 pp., 182 colour plates, Hackenheim. . * Ponder, W.F. & E.H. Vokes. 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'', Supplement 8. 160 pp.

External links

Aristotle, 350 B.C.E. ''A history of animals''
{{taxonbar, from=Q311512 Muricidae Extant Cretaceous first appearances Gastropod genera Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus