Bolinus brandaris
Bolinus brandaris (originally called Murex brandaris by
Bolinus brandaris
Linnaeus and also Haustellum brandaris), and commonly known
Temporal range:
as the purple dye murex or the spiny dye-murex, is a species
of medium-sized predatory sea snail, an edible marine gastropod
mollusk in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or the rock
snails.[1]
This species is known in the fossil record from the Pliocene (age
range: from 3.6 to 2.588 million years ago). Fossil shells of this
species have been found in Cyprus, Spain and Italy.[2] It was
used by the Phoenicians in ancient times to extract imperial
Tyrian purple dye.[3]
Distribution and habitat
This snail lives in the central and western parts of the Two shells of the spiny dye-murex
Mediterranean Sea and has been found on isolated coral atoll Scientific classification
beaches in the Indian Ocean and South China Sea. It was known
Domain: Eukaryota
since ancient times as a source for purple dye and also as a
popular food source under various names, among which Kingdom: Animalia
sconciglio, from which comes the word scungilli. This species Phylum: Mollusca
lives on rocks in shallow water.
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Caenogastropoda
Human use Order: Neogastropoda
This species, like many other species in the family Muricidae, Family: Muricidae
can produce a secretion which is milky and without color when Genus: Bolinus
fresh but which turns into a powerful and lasting dye when
Species: B. brandaris
exposed to the air. This was the mollusc species used by the
ancients to produce Tyrian purple fabric dye. Binomial name
Bolinus brandaris
Sea snails of the species Banded dye-murex Hexaplex trunculus
(Linnaeus, 1758)
were also used to produce a purple-blue or indigo dye. In both
cases, the mollusks secrete the dye in the mucus of their
hypobranchial glands.
In Spain, and more specifically on the Mediterranean coast and the Gulf of Cádiz, they are called cañaílla,
and are appreciated as food.
It is a cannibalistic species; evidence suggests that intensive breeding by the ancient Minoans resulted in
pierced shells, perhaps by other snails, due to the population density in breeding tanks.
Biology
Shell
The size of the adult shell of Bolinus brandaris can reach about 60 to 90 mm. The shell is usually golden
brown with a very long siphonal canal and a rounded body whorl with a low spire. There is a row of spines
that corresponds to the end of each growth stage.
Different views of a shell of A shell of Bolinus brandaris with An illustration of the species
Bolinus brandaris a broken lip because it was from Martin Lister's 17th
between growth stages when it century shell book.[4]
died, and the edge of the
aperture is easily damaged
during that time.
Fossil shell of Bolinus brandaris Bolinus brandaris from the purple dyed fabric
torularius from Pliocene Pliocene of Cyprus showing
interior
Wenceslaus Hollar, Shell
(Murex brandaris), c. 1645,
NGA 74805, National Gallery of
Art
Species
Infrasubspecific names are not recognized by ICZN.
Bolinus brandaris bicauda - Coen 1933
Bolinus brandaris coronatus x polii - Stigwan 2019
Bolinus brandaris elongata - Stigwan 2019
Bolinus brandaris cagliaritanus - Stigwan 2019
Bolinus brandaris longispinus - Coen 1914
Bolinus brandaris nasalis brevis - Stigwan 2019
Bolinus brandaris nivea - Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, - 1882
Bolinus brandaris polii - Coen 1933
Bolinus brandaris rubiginosus - Stigwan 2019
Bolinus brandaris trispinosus - Locard 1886
Bolinus brandaris trituberculatus - Stigwan 2019
Bolinus brandaris varicosus - Settepassi 1970
Synonyms
Aranea cinera Perry, 1811
Haustellum clavatum Schumacher, 1817
Murex brandariformis Locard, 1886
Murex brandaris Linnaeus, 1758
Murex brandaris brandellus Monterosato in Settepassi, 1970
Murex brandaris brevispinus Settepassi, 1970
Murex brandaris commixtus Settepassi, 1970
Murex brandaris insculptus Settepassi, 1970
Murex brandaris longiaculeatus Settepassi, 1970
Murex brandaris ponderosus Settepassi, 1970
Murex brandaris spinosus Settepassi, 1970
Murex brandaris subcornutus Settepassi, 1970
Murex brandaris var. aculeatus Philippi, 1836
Murex brandaris var. canaliaspinosus Serradell, 1912
Murex brandaris var. compacta Pallary, 1912
Murex brandaris var. conica Serradell, 1912
Murex brandaris var. delgadoi Serradell, 1912
Murex brandaris var. devians Dautzenberg, 1904
Murex brandaris var. diplacantha Dautzenberg, 1904
Murex brandaris var. longispina Coen, 1914
Murex brandaris var. monospinosus Serradell, 1912
Murex brandaris var. multicostatus Serradell, 1912
Murex brandaris var. nivea Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1882
Murex brandaris var. novemcostatus Serradell, 1912
Murex brandaris var. quadrispinosa Dautzenberg, 1904
Murex brandaris var. robusta Dautzenberg, 1904
Murex brandaris var. spinotuberculatus Serradell, 1912
Murex brandaris var. spirocaudata Coen, 1934
Murex brandaris var. ternispinosa Coen, 1914
Murex brandaris var. torta Dautzenberg, 1904
Murex brandaris var. trifariaspinosa Frauenfeld, 1869
Murex brandaris var. trispinosa Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1882
Murex brandaris var. tuberculata Hidalgo, 1890
Murex brandaris var. tudiculoides Coen, 1934
Murex brandaris varicosus Settepassi, 1970
Murex clavaherculis Roding, 1798
Murex coronatus Risso, 1826
Murex trispinosus Locard, 1886
Murex tuberculatus Roding, 1798
Purpura fuliginosa Röding, 1798
[1]
See also
Tyrian purple
Hexaplex trunculus
References
1. Bolinus brandaris (Linnaeus, 1758) (http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&i
d=140389). Houart, R.; Gofas, S. (2009). Bolinus brandaris (Linnaeus, 1758). In: Bouchet, P.;
Gofas, S.; Rosenberg, G. World Marine Mollusca database. Accessed through the World
Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?
p=taxdetails&id=140389 on 31 August 2010 .
2. "Fossilworks" (http://www.fossilworks.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?a=taxonInfo&taxon_no=190330).
Fossilworks. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
3. McGovern, P. E. and Michel, R. H.; Royal Purple dye: tracing the chemical origins of the
industry, Anal. Chem. 1985, 57, 1514A-1522A
4. Lister M. (1685-1692). Historia Conchyliorum.
Further reading
Radwin, G. E. & D'Attilio A. (1986). Murex shells of the world. An illustrated guide to the
Muricidae. Stanford Univ. Press, Stanford, x + pp. 1–284 incl 192 figs. + 32 pls.
Vasconcelos P., Barroso C. M. & Gaspar M. B. (2017). "Meat yield of Bolinus brandaris
(Gastropoda: Muricidae): Comparative assessment of the influence of sex, size and
reproductive status". Scientia Marina 81(2): 255-267. doi:10.3989/scimar.04508.09C (https://
doi.org/10.3989%2Fscimar.04508.09C).
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