Hexaplex radix

Hexaplex radix, the radix murex or root murex,[2] is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails.[1][3]

Hexaplex radix
Five views of a shell of Hexaplex radix
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Mollusca
Class:
Gastropoda
(unranked):
clade Caenogastropoda
clade Hypsogastropoda
clade Neogastropoda
Superfamily:
Muricoidea
Family:
Muricidae
Subfamily:
Muricinae
Genus:
Hexaplex
Species:
H. radix
Binomial name
Hexaplex radix
(Gmelin, 1791)
Synonyms[1]
  • Hexaplex (Muricanthus) radix (Gmelin, 1791)
  • Murex nitidus Broderip, 1833
  • Murex radix Gmelin, 1791 (basionym)
  • Murex strausi Verrill, 1950
  • Muricanthus radix (Gmelin, 1791)

Distribution

This species can be found in the western Pacific in parts of Central America (Baja California, from Mexico to Peru).[2][4]

Habitat

These sea snails live along the tropical coasts in shallow waters among intertidal rocks.

A shell of Hexaplex radix from Panama on display at the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano

Description

Shells of Hexaplex radix can reach a size of 50–160 millimetres (2.0–6.3 in).[2] These large, massive, heavy shells are globose or pear-shaped and very spiny, with a white surface and blackish-brown foliations and spiral elements. The body whorls have six to eleven varices. The aperture is large, broad, ovate and porcelaneous white. The outer edges are strongly dentate. The siphonal canal is moderately long. The operculum is dark brown.[5]

This species is quite similar to Hexaplex nigritus. The shells of these two species mainly differ in the length, width and in the proportion of blackish-brown versus white. Moreover, shells of H. radix are less oblong and show less spines in black.[5][6]

Biology

Hexaplex radix feeds primarily on clams.

References
Shell with operculum of Hexaplex radix from Amador
  1. Hexaplex radix (Gmelin, 1791). Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species on 3 March 2012.
  2. "Hexaplex (Muricanthus) radix". Gastropods.com. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  3. Biolib
  4. Galli C.: WMSDB - Worldwide Mollusc Species Data Base
  5. George E. Radwin; Anthony D'Attilio (1976). Murex Shells of the World: An Illustrated Guide to the Muricidae. Stanford University Press. p. 78. ISBN 978-0-8047-0897-5.
  6. Whatsup San Carlos

Bibliography
  • A. Keen - Sea Shells of Tropical West America
  • Arianna Fulvo and Roberto Nistri (2005). 350 coquillages du monde entier. Delachaux et Niestlé (Paris) : 256 p. (ISBN 2-603-01374-2)
  • G. E. Radwin - Murex Shells of the World - An Illustrated Guide to the Muricidae
  • Merle D., Garrigues B. & Pointier J.-P. (2011) Fossil and Recent Muricidae of the world. Part Muricinae. Hackenheim: Conchbooks. 648 pp.
  • Pfleger V. (1999): České názvy živočichů III. Měkkýši (Mollusca) - Národní muzeum, Praha, 108 pp.
  • V. Alamo and V. Valdivieso M. - Systematic List of Peruvian Marine Molluscs
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