Hexaplex fulvescens explained

Hexaplex fulvescens, the giant eastern murex or giant Atlantic murex or tawny murex, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails.

Distribution

This species is native to the western Atlantic Ocean from North Carolina to Cape Canaveral, Florida and it is also present in the Gulf of Mexico from Florida west to Texas.^[1]

Habitat

These quite uncommon sea snails live at depths of 0 to 80 m.^[2]
In fact they commonly can be found in deeper waters,
but they can also be found in shallow inshore waters.^[1]
Commercial scallop operations out of Florida sometimes trawl this species
in 100 - 120 feet depth.

Description

Shells of Hexaplex fulvescens can reach a size of 60-. These snails are massive and spinose and they are the largest muricid snails of the Western Atlantic (hence the common name).^[1] They have several straight or bifurcate spines arranged in 6-10 radial rows with spiraling ridges. Snail surface may be whitish, grayish or pale brown, the aperture is oval with crenulate edges. The siphonal canal is short.^[3]

Biology

Hexaplex fulvescens are active predators on other mollusks (mussels, oysters and clams).^[1] They lay their eggs in capsules attached under rocks.^[4]

References

• Kiener, L.-C., 1842-43 Genre Rocher (Murex), Linné. Volume 7. In: Spécies général et iconographie des coquilles vivantes. Famille des canalifères, p. 130 pp

Bibliography

• G. E. Radwin - Murex Shells of the World: An Illustrated Guide to the Muricidae
• National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Seashells
• Turgeon, D. D., J. F. Quinn Jr., A. E. Bogan, E. V. Coan, F. G. Hochberg, W. G. Lyons, et al. (1998) Common and scientific names of aquatic invertebrates from the United States and Canada: Mollusks, 2nd ed., American Fisheries Society Special Publication 26

Notes and References

1. http://www.jaxshells.org/hfulvescens.htm Jaxshells.org
2. Web site: Filaman.uni . 21 December 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151222074804/http://filaman.uni-kiel.de/Summary/speciesSummary.php?ID=2083&genusname=Salmo&speciesname=trutta+fario . 22 December 2015 . dead .
3. http://txmarspecies.tamug.edu/invertdetails.cfm?scinameID=Hexaplex%20fulvescens Identification Guide to Marine Organisms of Texas
4. Book: Susan B. Rothschild. Beachcomber's Guide to Gulf Coast Marine Life: Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. 2004. Taylor Trade Publications. 978-1-58979-061-2. 31.