Kingdom Animalia Superfamily Muricoidea Subfamily Muricopsinae Scientific name Muricopsis cristata Rank Species | Class Gastropoda Family Muricidae Genus Muricopsis Phylum Mollusca | |
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Similar Vexillum ebenus, Pisania striata, Galeodea rugosa, Muricopsis, Euthria cornea | ||
Muricopsis (Muricopsis) cristata, common name Blainville's Muricop, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails.
Contents
Fossil records
The fossil record dates back to the Pliocene (age range: from 3.6 to 2.588 million years ago).
Description
The shell size varies between 10 mm and 35 mm. Size, color and morphology are very variable. The whorls have a variable number of more or less prominent varices showing foliaceous or spinose projections. They have a well-developed siphonal canal, and the siphon is quite elongated.
Distribution
This quite common species is distributed in the Mediterranean Sea, in the Atlantic Ocean along Portugal, Morocco and the Canaries and in the Red Sea.
References
Muricopsis cristata Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA