Relevant Synonyms - Misidentification Murex tribulus Linnaeus, 1758 [Tillier and Bavay, 1905; Pallary, 1913; Taylor, 1954]  photo: S. Gofas

SHORT DESCRIPTION Shell large, with 7-8 convex whorls. Approximately four conspicuous varixes per whorl, armed with very strong spines. Space between varixes with a sculpture of irregular rather flat spiral cords. Aperture ovate, continued anteriorly by a very long, nearly closed siphonal canal, over which the varixes and their spines are continued in a comb-like pattern. color : creamy white with cords marked by brownish blotches, and interspaces between cords darker; aperture white with darker blotches in the crenulations. common size : commonly 80 mm (max. 115 mm). DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS This species has more spines on the canal than the native Bolinus brandaris (L., 1758) which has only 2-3 rows. There are many look-alike species in the Indo-Pacific, none of them having been reported so far in the Mediterranean (see Ponder and Vokes, 1988). BIOLOGY / ECOLOGY This species has a paucispiral protoconch indicating a lecithotrophic development, contrary to the related M. tribulus which has planktotrophic larvae and is widespread in the Indo-Pacific, but not sympatric with M. tribulus. habitat : on subtidal soft bottoms.

1st Mediterranean record Port Said, Egypt, 1905 [no collecting date]. DISTRIBUTION Worldwide: throughout the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman (Ponder and Vokes, 1988); established in the Suez Canal (Bavay, 1897). Mediterranean: recorded first in Egypt, Port Said (Tillier and Bavay, 1905); later, from Lebanon (Pallary, 1938) and from Israel (Settepassi, 1967-70) [1932]. The record from Saronikos Gulf, Greece (Settepassi, 1967) is questionnable. ESTABLISHMENT SUCCESS Common on the continental shelf along the Israeli coast, also known from isolated specimens from the Libanese coast. speculated reasons for success : - MODE OF INTRODUCTION Via the Suez Canal. IMPORTANCE TO HUMANS None.

KEY REFERENCES Barash A. and Danin Z., 1973. The Indo-Pacific species of mollusca in the Mediterranean and notes on a collection from the Suez canal. Israel Journal of Zoology, 21 (3-4): 301-374. Bavay A., 1897. Au sujet du passage d'un mollusque de la mer rouge dans la Méditerranée. Bulletin de la Société Zoologique de France, 199. Pallary P., 1938. Les mollusques marins de la Syrie. Journal de Conchyliologie, 82: 5-57.   Ponder W.F. and Vokes E.H., 1988. A revision of the Indo-West Pacific fossil and Recent species of Murex s.s. and Haustellum (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Muricidae). Records of the Australian Museum, suppl. 8: 1-160. Taylor M., 1954. Variation of the shells of Murex tribulus from the Great Bitter Lake, Egypt. Nature, 174: 1111. Tillier L. and Bavay A., 1905. Les mollusques testacés du Canal de Suez. Bulletin de la Société Zoologique de France, 30: 170-181. FEEDBACK / COMMENTS TO AUTHORS

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