Murex - Muricidae

Murex - Hexaplex trunculus

Hexaplex trunculus (also known as Murex trunculus, Phyllonotus trunculus,) is a medium-sized sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae, the murex  shells or rock snails. ...

Red-mouthed rock shell - Muricidae - Stramonita haemastoma

Stramonita haemastoma, common name the red-mouthed rock shell or the Florida dog winkle, is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Muricidae, the rock snails. ...

Spiny dye-murex - Bolinus 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 gastropod mollusk in th...

Muricids (Muricidae Rafinesque, 1815) are a family of gastropod molluscs of the subclass Caenogastropoda. They are the only family in the superfamily Muricoidea Rafinesque, 1815. They were appreciated since ancient times by the Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans because they extracted purple to dye fabrics red. Muricidi Muricidae murex snails conchiglia intotheblue.it

Description
All muricids have a horny operculum and a sturdy, strong foot. This family appears in Aptian (Cretaceous) fossils.

Biology
They can pierce the shell of other molluscs through the abrasive action of the radula combined with the secretion of particular enzymes which are able to dissolve their hard calcareous coating. In addition to molluscs, they feed on worms, crustaceans and sponges.

Distribution and habitat
The family includes about a thousand species distributed in both tropical and temperate regions.

Taxonomy
The family consists of twelve subfamilies and over 200 genera.

Life habits
Most muricid species are carnivores, active predators that feed on other gastropods, bivalves, and barnacles. Access to the soft parts of the prey is typically achieved by piercing a hole through the shell by a softening secretion and the scraping action of the radula. Due to their carnivorous character, some species may be considered pests because they can cause considerable destruction both in exploited natural bivalve beds and in commercially farmed bivalve areas.

Muricids lay their eggs in protective, horny capsules, the size and shape of which vary according to the species. From these capsules the crawling juveniles hatch, or more rarely the planktonic larvae.

https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muricidae

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muricidae

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