Murex
Videos
Murex is a genus of medium to large sized predatory tropical sea snails. They are carnivorous marine gastropod molluscs in the family Muricidae, commonly called "murexes" or "rock snails".
Fishbone Murex Shell
Murex altispira
Fossil shell of Murex spinicosta from Pliocene of Italy
Bolinus brandaris
Videos
Bolinus 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 mollusc in the family Muricidae, the
Murex
…mucus from the hypobranchial gland of two species commonly referred to as "murex", Murex brandaris and Murex trunculus, which are now classified as Bolinus brandaris and Hexaplex trunculus. This dye is a rare animal-produced organobromine compound, which the snails make using a specific bromide peroxidase enzyme…
Brandhorn Bolinus brandaris
Different views of a shell of Bolinus brandaris
A shell of Bolinus brandaris with a broken lip because it was between growth stages when it died, and the edge of the aperture is easily damaged during that time.
An illustration of the species from Martin Lister's 17th century shell book.