Muricopsinae is a

taxonomic 280px, Generalized scheme of taxonomy Taxonomy is a practice and science concerned with classification or categorization. Typically, there are two parts to it: the development of an underlying scheme of classes (a taxonomy) and the allocation ...

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zo ...

predatory Predation is a biological interaction in which 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 ...

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 ...

s, 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 ...

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

s within the large

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 and rock snails.Houart, R. (2010). Muricopsinae. 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=395163 on 2010-12-24 A study, released in September 2010, showed that the subfamily Muricopsinae is

polyphyletic A polyphyletic group is an assemblage that includes organisms with mixed evolutionary origin but does not include their most recent common ancestor. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as Homoplasy, homoplasies ...

Characteristics

This subfamily has been delineated based on the characteristics of the operculum and the radula. The

shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses Science Biology * Seashell, a hard outer layer of a marine ani ...

is wide in the middle and tapers at both ends, making it

fusiform Fusiform (from Latin ''fusus'' ‘spindle’) means having a spindle (textiles), spindle-like shape that is wide in the middle and tapers at both ends. It is similar to the lemon (geometry), lemon-shape, but often implies a focal broadening of a ...

to biconic. The size of the shell varies in length between 5 mm and 85 mm. Its color is white or brown, covered with subdued shades of brown, orange, red or purple markings. The

aperture In optics, the aperture of an optical system (including a system consisting of a single lens) is the hole or opening that primarily limits light propagated through the system. More specifically, the entrance pupil as the front side image o ...

is broadly oval to almost round and is of variable size. Contrary to the other Muricidae, the

siphonal canal The siphonal canal is an anatomical feature of the shells of certain groups of sea snails within the clade Neogastropoda. Some sea marine gastropods have a soft tubular anterior extension of the mantle called a siphon through which water i ...

, the semi-tubular extension of the aperture, is of moderate length. Like the other murex shells, each convex

whorl A whorl ( or ) is an individual circle, oval, volution or equivalent in a whorled pattern, which consists of a spiral or multiple concentric objects (including circles, ovals and arcs). In nature File:Photograph and axial plane floral diagra ...

shows a variable number (four or more) of more or less prominent

varices A varix (: varices) is an abnormally dilated blood vessel with a tortuous course. Varices usually occur in the venous system, but may also occur in arterial or lymphatic vessels. Examples of varices include: * Varicose veins, large tortuous veins ...

(a thickened axial ridge in the shell), which, in turn, show foliaceous or spinose projections.George E. Radwin and Anthony D'Attilio, ''Murex Shells of the World'', Stanford University Press, 1976
/ref> The operculum is the same as in the subfamily

Muricinae Muricinae is a Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic subfamily of predatory sea snails, marine (ocean), marine gastropod mollusks within the large family (biology), family Muricidae, the murex snails and rock snails. The Muricinae represent approximatel ...

. It is unguiculate, thickened at the margin and depressed and annulate in the middle. The rachiglossan

radula The radula (; : radulae or radulas) is an anatomical structure used by mollusks for feeding, sometimes compared to a tongue. It is a minutely toothed, chitinous ribbon, which is typically used for scraping or cutting food before the food enters ...

has in each row a three-dimensional rachidian tooth with a raised central cusp and two lateral teeth, as in the subfamily

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 taxon ...

Distribution

The genera in this subfamily are distributed worldwide, mainly in tropical and subtropical waters, at depths between 0 and 300 m.

Genera

* '' Acanthotrophon'' Hertlein & Strong, 1951 * '' Bizetiella'' Radwin & D'Attilio, 1972 * '' Eofavartia'' Merle, 2002 * ''

Favartia ''Favartia'' is a genus of sea snails, marine (ocean), marine gastropod mollusks in the family (biology), family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails. It is known for its crystalline shell. Species The following species are recognised in t ...

'' Jousseaume, 1880 * '' Homalocantha'' Mörch, 1852 * '' Maxwellia'' Baily, 1950 * '' Murexsul'' Iredale, 1915 * '' Muricopsis'' Bucquoy & Dautzenberg, 1882 * ''

Pazinotus ''Pazinotus'' is a genus of sea snails, marine (ocean), marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Muricopsinae of the family (biology), family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails. Species Species within the genus ''Pazinotus'' include: ...

'' E.H. Vokes, 1970 * ''

Pradoxa ''Pradoxa'' is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Muricopsinae of the family Muricidae Muricidae is a large and varied taxonomic family of small to large predatory sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks, c ...

'' Fernandes & Rolan, 1993 * ''

Pygmaepterys ''Pygmaepterys'' is a genus of sea snails, marine (ocean), marine gastropod molluscs in the subfamily Muricopsinae of the family (biology), family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails.MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Pygmaepterys E. ...

'' E. H. Vokes, 1978 * '' Rolandiella'' B.A. Marshall & Burch, 2000 * '' Subpterynotus'' Olsson & Harbison, 1953 * '' Vitularia'' Swainson, 1840 * '' Xastilia'' Bouchet & Houart, 1994 Several genera that were recognized in the past have now become synonyms : * ''Minnimurex'' Woolacott, 1957 accepted as ''Murexiella'' Clench & Farfante, 1945 * ''Murexiella'' Clench & Farfante, 1945 accepted as ''Favartia (Murexiella)'' Clench & Perez Farfante, 1945 * ''Paradoxa'' Fernandes & Rolan, 1990 accepted as ''Pradoxa'' Fernandes & Rolan, 1993 * ''Paradoxon'' Fernandes & Rolán, 1990 accepted as ''Pradoxa'' Fernandes & Rolan, 1993 * ''Risomurex'' Olsson & McGinty, 1958 accepted as ''Muricopsis (Risomurex)'' Olsson & McGinty, 1958 * ''Transtrafer'' Iredale, 1929 accepted as ''Vitularia'' Swainson, 1840

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q6938519 Muricidae