Centrifugal Murex Shell, Pteropurpura centrifuga

Centrifugal Murex Shell, Pteropurpura centrifuga. Size: 6.0 cm (2.4 inches) x 4.6 cm (1.8 inches). Shell provided by the commercial fishermen of the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, August 2013.

The Centrifugal Murex, Pteropurpura centrifuga (Hinds, 1844), is a gastropod mollusk that is a member of the Muricidae Family of Rocks. The shells have a diamond-shaped profile with five whorls, a moderately high pointed spire, broad shoulder, wings that taper into a long siphon canal and an oval aperture. The varices are flattened spines or wings. The exterior of the shell is cream to yellowish-white; the interior is smooth white. The Centrifugal Murex reach a maximum of 9.4 cm (3.7 inches) in length and 7.2 cm (2.8 inches) in height.

Centrifugal Murexes reside attached to rocks in in moderately deep water, from 30 m (100 feet) to 180 m (600 feet). They range from Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur to Peru, including the Galapagos Islands. They are found throughout the Sea of Cortez.

Synonyms include Murex centrifuga, Murex speciosus, and Pterynotus swainsoni.