Shellfish
Spiny dye-murex
Bolinus brandaris
(GSA7) Gulf of Lion, (GSA8) Corsica
Fishing zones
Wild
Origin
5,5 cm
Minimum size
Description
Its shell is robust, globular in shape with a short whorl, extended by a very long, straight siphonal canal (which can account for half of the total length). It features rows of strong, pointed spines. Its color ranges from beige to yellowish brown, and it is often covered with marine organisms (algae) in the wild. The inside of the opening is often a bright orange-yellow. It generally measures between 6 and 9 cm, but some specimens can reach up to 11 cm. It is a voracious carnivorous predator. It feeds on other mollusks (bivalves or gastropods) by piercing their shells with its radula (toothed tongue) or by using its own secretions to anesthetize its prey.
Habitat
It is a benthic gastropod mollusk (living on the seafloor). It prefers soft substrates (sand, mud, or shell debris). It is more rarely found on rocky substrates. It generally lives at depths of 5 to 80 meters, although it has been recorded at depths of up to 200 meters in some areas. A species typical of warm temperate waters.
Distribution
The species is found primarily in the Mediterranean Sea, where it is very common throughout the basin (Spain, France, Italy, Greece, North Africa, and the Middle East). It is very abundant in the Adriatic Sea. It is also found in the eastern Atlantic, from the coast of Portugal to Morocco, and along the northwest coast of Africa (sometimes as far as Senegal and Guinea).