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Hexaplex trunculus (also known as Murex trunculus, Phyllonotus trunculus,) is a medium-sized sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae, the murex shells or rock snails. Murice Hexaplex Trunculus intotheblue.it Murex trunculus Phyllonotus
This sea snail is historically important because its hypobranchial gland secretes a mucus used to create a distinctive purple-blue.
Hexaplex trunculus has a broadly conical shell about 4 to 10 cm long. It has a rather high spire with seven angolate whorls. Hexaplex trunculus is a very common mollusk throughout the Mediterranean sea and can be easily found.
The shell is variable in sculpture and coloring with dark banding, in four varieties. The ribs sometimes develop thickenings or spines and give the shell a rough appearance. Murice Hexaplex Trunculus intotheblue.it Murex trunculus Phyllonotus
This species is a group of opportunist predatory snails that are known to attack their prey in groups. What is peculiar about this specific species is that they show no preference for the size of their prey, regardless of their hunger levels.
The snail appears in fossil records dating between the Pliocene and Quaternary periods (between 3.6 and 0.012 million years ago). Fossilized 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, Hebrews, 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. The dye will turn indigo blue, similar to the color of blue jeans, if exposed to sunlight before the dye sets. Indigo dye produced in this manner is known as Tekhelet.
