Shell of the Week: The Giant Eastern Murex

Reaching in excess of 213 mm (about 8.4 inches), Hexaplex fulvescens is the largest murex species in the western Atlantic and one of the largest in the world’s oceans. Its massive shell is garnished with pointy spines and is very variable, appearing in tawny-brown, yellowish-brown, orangish, cream, and any number of variations of these colors (the Latin word fulvescens can be translated as “yellowish”). The species is found from North Carolina to Palm Beach County in Florida, and in the Gulf of Mexico from Texas to Cedar Key, Florida. 

Hexaplex fulvescens, from off Panama City, Florida. Illustration by Patricia A. Starkey.

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