Cabrit's Murex (Murex cabritii Bernardi, 1859): In the Buff

Cabrit's Murex may reach a height of 3 inches. It usually has six whorls (volutions), and is a pale pink/buff color. Slender spines decorate this pretty mollusk. The siphonal canal, a narrow extension of the lip of the aperture, or opening, of Cabrit's Murex is twice as long as the rest of the shell.

The gastropod lives in sand or rubble in seas about 150 feet (46m) deep. Its habitat ranges from off the coast of South Carolina to the West Indies. For purposes of shell idenfication the beachcomber should keep in mind that the number of spines on individual Murex cabritii varies considerably. — Interesting trivia: the mollusk is named in honor of a mid-19th century French shell collector.

Notes

The shell pictured here was found at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
For more information on the Cabrits Murex see:
- R. Tucker Abbott and Percy A. Morris, Peterson Field Guides: Shells of the Atlantic & Gulf Coasts & the West Indies.
- Harald A. Rehder, National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Seashells.
Classification: Family Muricidae; Superfamily Muricoidea; Suborder Neogastropoda; Order Caenogastropoda.
Scientific nomenclature is subject to change, due to ongoing research. The above classification corresponds to that published by the Conchologists of America, Inc.
Digital formatting is by Jonathan Mitchell.

Cabrit's Murex:Pale and Pretty

Notes

Cabrit's Murex:
Pale and Pretty