Bent Beak Murex Shell, Vokesimurex recurvirostris
Bent Beak Murex Shell, Vokesimurex recurvirostris. Size: 8.3 cm (2.5 inches) x 6.4 cm (2.5 inches). Shell collected from coastal waters within Bahía Concepción, Baja California Sur, March 2020. Collection and photograph courtesy of Barry Mastro, Escondido, California.
Bent Beak Murex Shell, Vokesimurex recurvirostris. In egg mass. Collection from coastal waters within Bahía Concepción, Baja California Sur, March 2020. Collection and photograph courtesy of Barry Mastro, Escondido, California. Barry reports that he has encounters with several shells wrapped up in what appears to be “marine styrofoam.” The package is large and perhaps a half a cubic foot in volume with no individual organisms visible. Once the package is opened these shells are within completely intact and unbroken without the live snail.
Bent Beak Murex Shell, Vokesimurex recurvirostris. Size: 4.6 cm (1.8 inches) x 2.8 cm (1.1 inches). Shell provided by the commercial fishermen of the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, March 2016.
Phylogeny: The Bent Beak Murex, Vokesimurex recurvirostris (Broderip, 1833), is a gastropod mollusk that is a member of the Muricidae Family of Rock Shells. The genus Vokesimurex is one of one hundred ninety-eight genera in this family, and there are thirty-nine species in this genus. They are also known as the Curved-beak Murex Shell and in Mexico as Busano Alacrán.
Description: Bent Beak Murexes have a globose body with a moderate spire and very long canal. The exterior of the shall varies in color from cream to tan with many being marked with fine reddish brown lines that encircle the body. Some specimens also have encircling brown bands, mostly visible on the interior. The Bent Beak Murex can be easily confused with the Elena Murex Shell, Vokesimurex elenensis (more numerous spines along the siphon canal and outer lip). The Bent Beak Murex Shells reach a maximum of 8.8 cm (3.5 inches) in length and 5.4 cm (2.1 inches) in height.
Habitat and Distribution: Bent Beak Murexes reside on and within mud and sand substrates and are found in the intertidal zone and to depths up to 76 m (250 feet). They are a subtropical to tropical Eastern Pacific species that are found in Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean Cedros Island, Baja California south to Guatemala. They are found in the Gulf of California, from Guaymas, Sonora south to Mazatlán.
Ecology and Behavior: Bent Beak Murexes are a poorly studied and understood species. There is very limited documentation of their diet, predation, reproduction or ecosystem interactions. Other species in this genus are predators that feed primarily on shelled mollusks. They are gonochoric and reproduce sexually, with internal fertilization. There is no mention in the available literature of them engaging in any types of parasitic, commensal, or symbiotic relationships. From a conservation perspective they have not been formally evaluated however they are fairly common with a relatively wide distribution and should be considered to be of Least Concern.
Synonyms: Haustellum recurvirostris, Murex (Murex) recurvirostris, Murex nigriscens, Murex recurvirostris, Murex recurvirostris nigrescens, and Murex recurvirostrus.