''Hexaplex duplex'' is a species of

sea snail Sea snail is a common name for slow-moving marine gastropod molluscs, usually with visible external shells, such as whelk or abalone. They share the taxonomic class Gastropoda with slugs, which are distinguished from snails primarily by the ...

, 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 comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, from freshwater, and from land. T ...

mollusk in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails.

Subspecies

Both subspecies are now considered synonyms of ''Hexaplex duplex''. *''Hexaplex duplex duplex'' (Röding, 1798) – synonyms: ''Murex eurystomus'' Swainson, 1833; ''Murex hoplites'' Fischer, 1876; ''Murex minima'' Dautzenberg, 1910; ''Murex saxatilis'' Linnaeus (auctt.); ''Purpura duplex'' Röding, 1798 *''Hexaplex duplex canariensis'' (Nordsieck, 1975) – synonyms: ''Murex turbinatus'' Lamarck, 1822; ''Trunculariopsis canariensis'' Nordsieck, 1975

Description

The length of the shell varies between . It contains six to eight varices. These are singly spinous, the spines somewhat frondose, those on the shoulder of the

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). Whorls in nature File:Photograph and axial plane floral ...

s usually larger and curved. There are no interstitial ribs. The color of the shell is light yellowish brown, usually more or less pink-banded. The aperture is pink, with three or four darker bands.G.W. Tryon (1880) Manual of Conchology II, Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia
(described as ''Murex saxatilis'')

Distribution

This species occurs in the Red Sea and in the Atlantic Ocean off the

Cape Verdes , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

and the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

; and from Senegal to Angola. It has also been described as ''Murex turbinatus'' from the Mediterranean Sea.

References

* Fischer, P., 1876. - Description d'espèces nouvelles d'Afrique occidentale. Journal de Conchyliologie 24: 236-240 * Merle D., Garrigues B. & Pointier J.-P. (2011) ''Fossil and Recent Muricidae of the world. Part Muricinae''. Hackenheim: Conchbooks. 648 pp.

External links

Lamarck [J.-B. M.] de (1815–1822). Histoire naturelle des animaux sans vertèbres. Paris: 7 volumes. Vol. 1 [Introduction]: Verdière, i–xvi, 1–462 [March 1815]; Vol. 2 [les Polypes, les Radiaires]: Verdière, 1–568 [March 1816]; Vol. 3 [suite des Radiaires; les Tuniciers; les Vers]: Verdière, 1–586 [August, 1816]; Vol. 4: Deterville/Verdière, 1–603 [April 1817]; Vol. 5 [les Arachnides; les Crustacés; les Annélides; les Cirrhipèdes; les Conchiferes]: Paris, Deterville/Verdière, 1–612 [25 July 1818]; Vol. 6(1) [suite des Conchifères; Les Mollusques]: published by the Author, i–vi, 1–343 [June 1819]; Vol. 6(2) (suite): published by the Author, 1–232 [April 1822]; Vol. 7 (suite): published by the Author, 1–711. [August 1822]

External links

* Muricidae Gastropods described in 1798 Molluscs of the Atlantic Ocean Molluscs of the Mediterranean Sea Molluscs of Angola Molluscs of the Canary Islands Gastropods of Cape Verde Invertebrates of West Africa Fauna of the Red Sea {{Muricidae-stub