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| shelled snails text index | photo index |
| Phylum Mollusca > Class Gastropoda > Family Muricidae |
| Firebrand
murex snail Chicoreus torrefactus* Family Muricidae updated Aug 09 Where seen? This large but well camouflaged snail is usually found on boulders, rocks and hard surfaces near coral reefs at the low water mark. Features: 5-7cm long. Shell thick with rows of fronds or spikes along the length of the shell. There are usually three spikes along the siphonal canal. The shell opening is white. Operculum is made of a horn-like material. What does it eat? Like other drills in the Family Muricidae, this snail can also drill through shells. According to Tan, they have been seen to feed extensively on the bivalve Gafrarium by drilling a neat hole through the shell. |
 Tanah Merah, Aug 09 |
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Firebrand murex on Singapore shores
 Tanah Merah, Dec 09 |
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 Tanah Merah, Dec 09 |
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 Terumbu Salu, Jan 10 |
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*Species are difficult to positively identify without close examination.
On this website, they are grouped by external features for convenience of display.
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References
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Graham Brash, Singapore. 145 pp.|
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