Trunculus Murex
| Trunculus Murex | ||||||||||||||||
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| Missing image Murex_Trunculus_Shell.gif Image:Murex_Trunculus_Shell.gif | ||||||||||||||||
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| Hexaplex trunculus Linnaeus, 1758 | ||||||||||||||||
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The Trunculus Murex or the Purple Murex is a mollusc that produces a distinctive purple dye, considered valuable in ancient times and often used to dye fabrics. The dye is sometimes called "royal" or "imperial purple" as its price put it beyond the reach of all but the wealthiest; allegedly, 60,000 murex were needed to produce one pound of dye.
The Murex, Hexaplex trunculus, has a broadly conical shell about 4 to 10 cm long. It occurs in shallow, sublittoral waters of the Mediterranean and the bordering west Atlantic Ocean.
It has a rather high spire with seven angulated whorls. The shell is variable in sculpture and colouring with dark banding, and gives four varieties. The ribs may develop thickenings or spines and give the shell a rough appearance.
The Murex is also the shell widely thought to yield the techelet dye of the Bible, used for the fringes of clothing. For information, see tzitzit.
Synonyms : Murex trunculus, L. 1758; Phyllanotus trunculus, Truncullariopsis trunculus L., 1758.