Hexaplex trunculus, (Linnaeus, 1758)
Hexaplex trunculus (previously known as Murex trunculus, Phyllonotus trunculus, or the banded dye-murex) is a medium-sized sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Muricidae, the murex shells or rock snails. It is included in the subgenus Trunculariopsis.
This species is one of a group of opportunist predatory snails that are known to attack their prey in groups. Unlike some other sea snails, they show no preference for the size of their prey, regardless of their hunger levels.
The snail first appears in fossil records dating between the Pliocene and Quaternary periods (between 3.6 and 0.012 million years ago). Fossilised shells have been found in Morocco, Italy, and Spain.
This sea snail is historically important because its hypobranchial gland secretes a mucus used to create a distinctive purple-blue indigo dye. Ancient Mediterranean cultures, including the Minoans, Canaanites, Phoenicians and classical Greeks created dyes from the snails. One of the dye's main chemical ingredients is red dibromo-indigotin, the main component of Tyrian purple or tekhelet. The dye will turn indigo blue, similar to the colour of blue jeans, if exposed to sunlight before the dye sets.
Hexaplex trunculus has a broadly conical shell about 4 to 10 cm long. It has a rather high spire with seven angulated whorls, with the shell being formed similar to the shape of a fish. The shell is variable in sculpture and colour, with dark banding, in four varieties. The ribs sometimes develop thickenings or spines and give the shell a rough appearance. The shell is often covered in algae, which camouflages it, making it appear very similar to the seabed.
This species lives in the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic coasts of Europe and Africa, including Spain, Portugal, Morocco, the Canary Islands, Azores.
This murex occurs in shallow, sublittoral waters.
Snail secretions were used as dye in ancient times. People still eat the snail in Spain and Portugal.
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