Muricidae
| Muricidae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Shell of Chicoreus palmarosae | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| (unranked): | clade Caenogastropoda clade Hypsogastropoda clade Neogastropoda |
| Superfamily: | Muricoidea |
| Family: | Muricidae Rafinesque, 1815 |
| Subfamilies | |
See text | |
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 about 1,600 living species, the Muricidae represent almost 10% of the Neogastropoda. Additionally, 1,200 fossil species have been recognized.[1] Numerous subfamilies are recognized, although experts disagree about the subfamily divisions and the definitions of the genera.
Many muricids have unusual shells which are considered attractive by shell collectors and by interior designers.
Contents
1 Shell description
2 Life habits
3 Historical value
4 The fossil record
5 Subfamilies
6 References
7 External links
Shell description
Muricid shells are variably shaped, generally with a raised spire and strong sculpture with spiral ridges and often axial varices (typically three or more varices on each whorl), also frequently bearing spines, tubercles, or blade-like processes. Periostracum is absent in this family. The aperture is variable in shape; it may be ovate to more or less contracted, with a well-marked anterior siphonal canal that may be very long. The shell's outer lip is often denticulated inside, sometimes with a tooth-like process on its margin. The columella is smoothish to weakly ridged. The operculum is corneous and of variable thickness, with the nucleus near the anterior end or at about midlength of the outer margin.
Many muricids have episodic growth, which means their shells grow in spurts, remaining the same size for a while (during which time the varix develops) before rapidly growing to the next size stage. The result is the series of above mentioned varices on each whorl.
A mass of muricid egg capsules in a tidepool in Central California
Life habits
Most species of muricids are carnivorous, active predators that feed on other gastropods, bivalves, and barnacles. The access to the soft parts of the prey is typically obtained by boring a hole through the shell by means of a softening secretion and the scraping action of the radula. Because of their carnivory, some species may be considered pests because they can cause considerable destruction both in exploited natural beds of bivalves, and in farmed areas of commercial bivalves.
Muricids lay eggs in protective, corneous capsules, the size and shape of which vary by species. From these capsules the crawling juveniles, or more rarely planktonic larvae, hatch.
Historical value
Members of the genus were harvested by early Mediterranean peoples, with the Phoenicians possibly the first to do so, to extract an expensive, vivid, stable dye known as Tyrian purple, imperial purple, or royal purple.
The fossil record
The family Muricidae first appears in the fossil record during the Aptian age of the Cretaceous period.
Subfamilies
Numerous Hexaplex trunculus for sale in a fishmarket in Spain
Museum specimens of Chicoreus palmarosae (Lamarck, 1822), Naturalis
According to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi (2005) the family Muricidae consists of these subfamilies:
Coralliophilinae Chenu, 1859 - synonym: Magilidae Thiele, 1925
Ergalataxinae Kuroda, Habe & Oyama, 1971
Haustrinae Tan, 2003
Muricinae Rafinesque, 1815
Muricopsinae Radwin & d'Attilio, 1971
Ocenebrinae Cossmann, 1903
Pagodulinae Barco, Schiaparelli, Houart & Oliverio, 2012
Rapaninae Gray, 1853 - synonym: Thaididae Jousseaume, 1888
Tripterotyphinae d'Attilio & Hertz, 1988
Trophoninae Cossmann, 1903
Typhinae Cossmann, 1903
- Synonyms
- Subfamily Aspellinae Keen, 1971: synonym of Muricinae Rafinesque, 1815
- Subfamily Drupinae Wenz, 1938: synonym of Rapaninae Gray, 1853
- Genus Drupinia [sic]: synonym of Drupina Dall, 1923
- Genus Galeropsis Hupé, 1860: synonym of Coralliophila H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853
Babelomurex nagahorii
Bolinus cornutus
Chicomurex venustulus
Chicoreus aculeatus
Coralliophila fearnleyi
Drupa morum
Drupella cornus
Hadriania trunculata
Haustellum haustellum
Hexaplex radix
Homalocantha zamboi
Indothais malayensis
Lataxiena fimbriata
Latiaxis mawae
Morula biconica
Murex pecten
Nucella lapillus
Ocenebra erinacea
Orania pacifica
Phyllonotus evergladensis
Pteropurpura festiva
Rapa rapa
Rapana bezoar
Rapana venosa
Reishia bronni
Siratus alabaster
Spinucella tetragona
Stramonita haemastoma
Vokesimurex gallinago
References
^ Merle, D., Garrigues, B. & Pointier, J.-P. (2011). Fossil and Recent Muricidae of the World, Part Muricinae. 648 pp., 182 colour plates, ConchBooks, Hackenheim. .mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
ISBN 978-3-939767-32-9.
- Houart, R. (1994). Illustrated Catalogue of Recent Species of Muricidae named since 1971. 181 pp. [incl. 28 pls.], Verlag Christa Hemmen, Wiesbaden.
ISBN 3-925919-19-8. - Poutiers, J. M. (1998). Gastropods in: FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes: The living marine resources of the Western Central Pacific Volume 1. Seaweeds, corals, bivalves and gastropods. Rome: FAO. page 553.
- Rosenberg, Gary (1992) The Encyclopedia of Seashells. New York: Dorset Press.
- Vaught, K.C. (1989) A Classification of the Living Mollusca. American Malacologists, Inc., Melbourne, Florida.
External links
 | Wikispecies has information related to Muricidae |
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Muricidae. |
- CAAB listing for family Muricidae
George E.Radwin and Anthony D'Attilio: The Murex shells of the World, Stanford University press, 1976,
ISBN 0-8047-0897-5
- Pappalardo P., Rodríguez-Serrano E. & Fernández M. (2014). "Correlated Evolution between Mode of Larval Development and Habitat in Muricid Gastropods". PLoS ONE 9(4): e94104. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0094104.
