The Family MURICIDAE encompass a diverse and distinct group of worldwide mollusks. Generically referred to as Murex, the Family actually consists of eight Subfamiles (see below), which are then further subdivided into more than 90 genera. The group has been extensively studied by the scientific community, leading to more newly discovered and described Murex in the past 20 years than any other molluscan Family. This prompted one researcher to publish a compilation of the Muricidae species described since 1971 to aid researchers and collectors in sorting out the huge number of species not included in the more popular literature (see below). The intricately spiny, rugose, or lamellate sculpture of the Murex have a broad appeal with collectors. One of the peculiar, yet highly appealing characteristics of a number of Muricid genera is the variability of color. Some species can be found in a broad range of colors, which makes for an outstanding display. The ecology of Murex is equally diverse. They inhabit a wide range of ocean environments, from rocky shorelines, to deep subtidal regions of the ocean. The Murex are sometimes referred to as rock shells due to the rocky habitat where some species are found, but Murex also inhabit muddy, or coarse sand substrates, especially the deeper water species. The Muricidae are by far one of the more appealing of the molluscan groups.
LITERATURE: There is no lack of Murex literature available, though many of the important titles are in the form of scientific papers. The list is too extensive to include here, but at least a handful are recommended for the collector. · Even though out-of-print, Murex Shells of the World, An Illustrated Guide to the Muricidae, by Radwin and D'Attilio (Stanford University Press, 1976) still stands as the best first reference to the group, yet is somewhat outdated. · Illustrated Catalogue of Recent Species Of Muricidae Named Since 1971 by Roland Houart (Verlag Christa Hemmen, 1994) is an important supplement to the Murex literature as it brings together all of the newly described Murex between 1971 and the publication date. Excellent illustrations are included. · Though more specialized, The genus Chicoreus and related genera (Gastropoda: Muricidae) in the Indo-West Pacific by Roland Houart (Memoires du Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle (A) 154: 1-188, 1992) is a comprehensive monograph of the Chicoreus of this region. The publication is well-illustrated and includes maps and indepth writeups on each species. · An equally important specialized monograph is A Revision of the Indo-West Pacific Fossil and Recent Species of Murex s.s. and Haustellum (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Muricidae) by Ponder and Vokes (Records of the Australian Museum, 1988, Supplement 8: 1-160). This monograph is the de facto standard for the popular genera, Murex and Haustellum. · Though not as convenient as a bound book to reference, the Card Catalogue of World-Wide Shells published by the late-Sally Kaicher includes six of the 60 published card-packs that deal with Muricidae. The card-packs are no longer in print, but are still available through a few book dealers. An indispensible reference for the Typhinae is, An illustrated catalogue of the family Typhinae Cossmann, 1903, by D'Attilio, & C.M. Hertz (Festivus, Supp. 20: 1-73, 1988). · For the general collector who wants to learn more about the Muricidae and for identification, many of the geographical shell books have very good coverage of the Murex of the particular region. Murex specialists will want to seek out many of the scientific publications that deal with the group in more specific detail.
