Bolinus cornutus
Encyclopedia
Bolinus cornutus, or Horned Murex, is a predatory species
of sea snail
, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family
Muricidae
, often referred to as the murex or rock snails. It is common along the west coast of Africa, where it prefers moderately shallow waters. The shell of the snail is distinctively large, spiny, and club-shaped, usually pale brown or tan in colour, with an elongated and straight siphonal canal
.
Although not as widely utilised as other Murex species, such as Bolinus brandaris, B. cornutus is one of the sea snail species from which a rich purple dye, generally referred to as Tyrian purple
, can be extracted. The dye is a mucus from the snail's hypobranchial gland, which is secreted for defence and as an aid in predation.
Bolinus cornutus is protected by a large, thick, spiny shell, club-shaped and with a broad body whorl
. The maximum length of the shell is approximately 200 millimetres. Its spire
is low and the body whorl has six or seven varices
, each varix forming two long, hollow spines. Short spines also spiral off the long, straight siphonal canal
of the shell, which is narrowly open along its length. The buff or tan shell colour is interrupted on the body whorl by three darker brown spiral bands, spaced evenly. The majority of the ovate aperture
of the shell is white, with an "apricot" shade on the lip edge, the inductura, and the parietal callus
. Most of the outer surface of the shell is rough in texture.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of sea snail
Sea snail
Sea snail is a common name for those snails that normally live in saltwater, marine gastropod molluscs....
, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Muricidae
Muricidae
Muricidae, common name murex snails or rock snails, is a large and varied taxonomic family of small to large predatory sea snails. With approximately 1,600 living species the Muricidae represent almost 10% of the Neogastropoda. Additionally, 1,200 fossil species have been recognised...
, often referred to as the murex or rock snails. It is common along the west coast of Africa, where it prefers moderately shallow waters. The shell of the snail is distinctively large, spiny, and club-shaped, usually pale brown or tan in colour, with an elongated and straight siphonal canal
Siphonal canal
Some sea marine gastropods have a soft tubular anterior extension of the mantle called a siphon through which water is drawn into the mantle cavity and over the gill and which serves as a chemoreceptor to locate food. In many carnivorous snails, where the siphon is particularly long, the structure...
.
Description
The Bolinus cornutus snail inhabits moderately shallow waters and prefers gravelled or rocky substrate. It is carnivorous and predatory.Although not as widely utilised as other Murex species, such as Bolinus brandaris, B. cornutus is one of the sea snail species from which a rich purple dye, generally referred to as Tyrian purple
Tyrian purple
Tyrian purple , also known as royal purple, imperial purple or imperial dye, is a purple-red natural dye, which is extracted from sea snails, and which was possibly first produced by the ancient Phoenicians...
, can be extracted. The dye is a mucus from the snail's hypobranchial gland, which is secreted for defence and as an aid in predation.
Bolinus cornutus is protected by a large, thick, spiny shell, club-shaped and with a broad body whorl
Body whorl
Body whorl is part of the morphology of a coiled gastropod mollusk.- In gastropods :In gastropods, the body whorl, or last whorl, is the most recently-formed and largest whorl of a spiral or helical shell, terminating in the aperture...
. The maximum length of the shell is approximately 200 millimetres. Its spire
Spire (mollusc)
A spire is a descriptive term for part of the coiled shell of mollusks. The word is a convenient aid in describing shells, but it does not refer to a very precise part of shell anatomy: the spire consists of all of the whorls except for the body whorl...
is low and the body whorl has six or seven varices
Varix (mollusc)
A varix is an anatomical feature of the shell of certain sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs.It is a thickened axial ridge in the shell of some families of gastropods. A varix is located at intervals around the whorl, and is formed by considerable thickening of the outer lip at a resting stage...
, each varix forming two long, hollow spines. Short spines also spiral off the long, straight siphonal canal
Siphonal canal
Some sea marine gastropods have a soft tubular anterior extension of the mantle called a siphon through which water is drawn into the mantle cavity and over the gill and which serves as a chemoreceptor to locate food. In many carnivorous snails, where the siphon is particularly long, the structure...
of the shell, which is narrowly open along its length. The buff or tan shell colour is interrupted on the body whorl by three darker brown spiral bands, spaced evenly. The majority of the ovate aperture
Aperture (mollusc)
The aperture is an opening in certain kinds of mollusc shells: it is the main opening of the shell, where part of the body of the animal emerges for locomotion, feeding, etc....
of the shell is white, with an "apricot" shade on the lip edge, the inductura, and the parietal callus
Parietal callus
A parietal callus is a feature of the shell anatomy of some groups of snails, i.e. gastropods. It is a thickened calcareous deposit which may be present on the parietal wall of the aperture of the adult shell. The parietal wall is the margin of the aperture and part of the wall of the body whorl...
. Most of the outer surface of the shell is rough in texture.