''Murex somalicus'' is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of large predatory
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
Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean.
Marine or marines may refer to:
Ocean
* Maritime (disambiguation)
* Marine art
* Marine biology
* Marine debris
* Marine habitats
* Marine life
* Marine pollution
Military
* ...
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
Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is e ...
in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Muricidae, the rock snails or murex snails.
[Bouchet P. & Rocroi J.-P. (Ed.); Frýda J., Hausdorf B., Ponder W., Valdes A. & Warén A. 2005. ''Classification and nomenclator of gastropod families''. Malacologia: International Journal of Malacology, 47(1-2). ConchBooks: Hackenheim, Germany. . ISSN 0076-2997. 397 pp. http://www.vliz.be/Vmdcdata/imis2/ref.php?refid=78278]
Description
Original description: "Very large shell (up to 190 mm.) with 7 loose whorls and 3 weak varices per whorl. The spiral sculpture is made up of 4 distinct cords which, when they go over the varices, form 4 spiny processes pointing in the direction of the apex. The spine of the first adapical cord (towards the shoulder) is shorter, while the other 3 spines clearly increase in length as they get nearer the siphonal canal. This has 5 strong and long spines (the first is near the point of separation between the external and internal lips) which decrease in length towards the end of the canal: among the main spines there are smaller ones which make an angle of about 90 degrees with the stronger spines. Very weak axial sculpture on the last whorls, only on the first whorls radial riblets are visible. The aperture is elongated oval, white, the calliosity of the internal lip reaches the spines of the preceding whorl, the external lip ends in the superior zone in a posterior canal, or anal, very long and wide.
Between the third and the fourth spine is the labral tooth, typical of the genus ''Mures s.s.'' The colouring is darker in the area of the varices, almost rusty red, while at the centre of the whorls, among the varices it is lighter, tending towards cream.
The protoconch is paucispiral, with 2, 1/2 rounded whorls of a very variable diameter. Operculum unknown."
Distribution
Locus typicus: "Coast of Somalia,
unfortunately without any reliable precision."
[Parth, M. 1990-''La Conchiglia, Yr. XXII No. 256'', page 42.]
References
Murex
{{Muricinae-stub