Murex

''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. 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 Muricidae which were originally given the Latin generic name ''Murex,'' but have more recently been regrouped into newer genera. ''Murex'' was used in antiquity to describe spiny sea snails, especially those associated with the production of purple dye''. Murex'' is one of the oldest classical seashell names still used by the scientific community.

Aristotle described these mollusks in his ''History of Animals'' using the Greek term πορφύρα (''porphyra'').

Etymology

The term murex originates from the Latin word ''mūrex,'' likely related to the Greek word μύαξ (''myax''), meaning sea mussel. The connection between these terms suggests a shared linguistic root, possibly linked to the Greek word μῦς (''mys''), meaning "mouse," due to the perceived resemblance between the shape of certain mollusks and mice.

Fossil records

This genus is known in the fossil records from the Cretaceous 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
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Distribution

''Murex'' is solely an Indo-Pacific genus, as demonstrated by Ponder & Vokes (1988). The species from the western Atlantic 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 (or "royal purple") and tekhelet were historically made by the ancient Phoenicians, 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 '' Bolinus brandaris'' and '' Hexaplex trunculus''. This dye is a rare animal-produced organobromine compound, which the snails make using a specific bromide peroxidase enzyme that operates on dissolved bromide in sea water.

This dye was used in royal robes, other kinds of special ceremonial 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 of Israel officiating there; it is sometimes still used by Jews today in the ritual fringes ( tzitzit) on four-cornered garments. A consensus has yet to be reached regarding the Biblical source of the "blue" dye, though the latest archeological research on dyes in this region indicates that it was indeed the Murex trunculus snail that was used for the famous tekhelet ancient dye.

Species

The genus ''Murex'', as originally defined by Linnaeus, encompassed many taxa that are now placed elsewhere in the superfamily Muricoidea. 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 and Ocenebrinae. Malacologists of the 19th century including Kiener, Reeve, 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 (WoRMS) lists the following species with accepted names within the genus ''Murex''. The subgenera are considered alternate representations.

* '' Murex acanthostephes'' Watson, 1883
* '' Murex aduncospinosus'' G.B. Sowerby II, 1841:
* '' Murex africanus'' Ponder & Vokes, 1988
* '' Murex altispira'' Ponder & Vokes, 1988 Caltrop murex
* '' Murex antelmei'' Viader, 1938
* † '' Murex bonneti'' Cossmann, 1903
* '' Murex brevispina'' Lamarck, 1822 Short-spined murex
* † '' Murex camplytropis'' Tate, 1888
* '' Murex carbonnieri'' (Jousseaume, 1881) Carbonnier's murex
* '' Murex concinnus'' Reeve, 1845
* '' Murex coppingeri'' E. A. Smith, 1884
* † '' Murex crassiliratus'' Tate, 1888
* '' Murex djarianensis'' Martin, 1895
** '' Murex djarianensis poppei'' (synonym : ''Murex (Murex) poppei'' Houart, 1979)
* '' Murex echinodes'' Houart, 2011
* '' Murex falsitribulus'' Ponder & Vokes, 1988
* '' Murex forskoehlio'' Röding, 1798
* † '' Murex grooti'' H. M. Jenkins, 1864
* † '' Murex guppyi'' Ladd, 1977
* † '' Murex halli'' d'Archiac & Haime, 1854
* '' Murex huangi'' Houart, 2010
* '' Murex hystricosus'' Houart & Dharma, 2001
* '' Murex indicus'' Houart, 2011
* † '' Murex irregularis'' Tate, 1888
* '' Murex kerslakae'' Ponder & Vokes, 1988
* † '' Murex lyelli'' d'Archiac & Haime, 1854 (accepted > unreplaced junior homonym)
* '' Murex megapex'' Neubert, 1998
* † '' Murex minutus'' R. M. Johnston, 1880
* † '' Murex nasongoensis'' Ladd, 1977
* † '' Murex noae'' Holten, 1802
* '' Murex occa'' G.B. Sowerby II, 1834 Harrowed murex
* † '' Murex paradoxicus'' H. M. Jenkins, 1864
* '' Murex pecten'' Lightfoot, 1786 ': Venus comb murex
** '' Murex pecten soelae''
* '' Murex philippinensis'' Parth, 1994
* '' Murex protocrassus'' Houart, 1990
* '' Murex queenslandicus'' Ponder & Vokes, 1988
* † '' Murex roemeri'' d'Archiac & Haime, 1854
* '' Murex salomonensis'' Parth, 1994
* '' Murex scolopax'' Dillwyn, 1817 False venus comb, woodcock murex
* '' Murex somalicus'' Parth, 1990
* '' Murex spectabilis'' Ponder & Vokes, 1988
* '' Murex spicatus'' Ponder & Vokes, 1988
* '' Murex spinastreptos'' Houart, 2010
* † '' Murex spinicosta'' Bronn, 1831
* '' Murex surinamensis'' Okutani, 1982
* '' Murex suttipraneeae'' Gra-tes, 2023
* † '' Murex tchihatcheffi'' d'Archiac & Haime, 1854
* '' Murex tenuirostrum'' Lamarck, 1822
* '' Murex ternispina'' Lamarck, 1822
* '' Murex trapa'' Roding, 1798 Rare-spined murex
* '' Murex tribulus'' Linnaeus, 1758, 1758: Caltrop murex
** '' Murex tribulus spicatus''
** '' Murex tribulus tenuirostrum''
** '' Murex tribulus tenuirostrum africanus''
** '' Murex tribulus ternispina''
* '' Murex troscheli'' Lischke, 1868 Troschel's murex

;Species mentioned as species in current use in the Indo-Pacific Molluscan Database (OBIS) :
* '' Murex singaporensis'' A.Adams, 1853

;Species brought into synonymy :
* ''Murex aedonius'' Watson, 1896: synonym of '' Coralliophila aedonia'' (Watson, 1885)
* ''Murex afer'' Gmelin, 1791: synonym of '' Afer afer'' (Gmelin, 1791)
* ''Murex alocatus'': synonym of '' Pterymarchia barclayana'' (H. Adams, 1873)
* ''Murex antillarum'' : Antilles murex: synonym of '' Siratus articulatus'' (Reeve, 1845)
* ''Murex argo'' Clench & Farfante, 1945: synonym of '' Chicoreus (Triplex) spectrum'' (Reeve, 1846)
* ''Murex belcheri'' Hinds, 1843 : synonym of '' Forreria belcheri'' (Hinds, 1843)
* ''Murex bellus'' Reeve, 1845: synonym of '' Vokesimurex bellus'' (Reeve, 1845)
* ''Murex blakeanus'' Vokes, 1967: synonym of '' Vokesimurex blakeanus'' (Vokes, 1967)
* ''Murex brandaris'' Linnaeus, 1758: synonym of '' Bolinus brandaris'' (Linnaeus, 1758)
* ''Murex canaliculatus'' Linnaeus, 1758: synonym of '' Busycotypus canaliculatus'' (Linnaeus, 1758)
* ''Murex capitellum'' Linnaeus, 1758: synonym of '' Vasum capitellum'' (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'' (Linnaeus, 1758)
* ''Murex edwardsii'': synonym of '' Ocinebrina edwardsii'' (Payraudeau, 1826)
* ''Murex garciai'' Petuch, 1987: synonym of '' Vokesimurex garciai'' (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''
* ''Murex jickelii'' Tapparone Canefri, 1875: synonym of '' Naquetia jickelii'' (Tapparone Canefri, 1875)
* ''Murex lindajoycae'' Petuch, 1987: synonym of '' Vokesimurex lindajoycae'' (Petuch, 1987)
* ''Murex longicornis'' Dunker, 1864: synonym of '' Chicoreus longicornis'' (Dunker, 1864)
* ''Murex maroccensis'' Gmelin, 1791: synonym of Fusinus maroccensis
* ''Murex monodon'' Sowerby, 1825: synonym of '' Chicoreus (Chicoreus) cornucervi'' (Röding, 1798)
* ''Murex nassa'' Gmelin, 1791: synonym of '' Leucozonia nassa'' (Gmelin, 1791)
* ''Murex nebula'' Montagu, 1803: synonym of '' Bela nebula'' (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'' (Reeve, 1845)
* ''Murex recurvirostris'': synonym of '' Vokesimurex recurvirostrum'' (Broderip, 1833)
* ''Murex rota'' Sowerby: synonym of '' Homalocantha anatomica'' (Perry, 1811)
* ''Murex rubidus'': synonym of '' Vokesimurex rubidus'' (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'' (Röding, 1798)
* † ''Murex textilis'' Brocchi, 1814: synonym of † '' Rimosodaphnella textilis'' (Brocchi, 1814)
* ''Murex triqueter'': synonym of'' Naquetia triqueter'' (Born, 1778)
* ''Murex tulipa'' Linnaeus, 1758: synonym of '' Fasciolaria tulipa'' (Linnaeus, 1758)
* ''Murex turbinellus'' Linnaeus, 1758: synonym of '' Vasum turbinellus'' (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''

Sowerby, G. B. II. (1874). Monograph of the genus Mitra. In G. B. Sowerby II (ed.), Thesaurus conchyliorum, or monographs of genera of shells. Vol. 4 (31-32): 1–46, pls 352–379. London, privately published

{{Authority control

Muricinae
Extant Cretaceous first appearances
Gastropod genera
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus