Prince Murex Shell, Hexaplex princepes

Prince Murex Shell, Hexaplex princeps.  Shell provided by the commercial fishermen of the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, April 2010. Size: 10.4 cm (4.1 inches) x 5.8 cm (2.3 inches).

Prince Murex Shell, Hexaplex princeps. Shell collected off the beach at Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur, February 2022. Size: 10.5 cm (4.1 inches) x 8.0 cm (3.1 inches). Photographs and Identification courtesy of Colin Campbell, DVM, Punta Chivato, Baja California Sur.

Phylogeny: The Prince Murex Shell, Hexaplex princeps (Broderip, 1833), is a gastropod mollusk that is a member of the Muricidae Family of Rock Shells.  The genus Hexaplex is one of one hundred ninety-eight genera in this family, and there are twenty species in this genus. They are also known as the Chief Rock Shell and in Mexico as Bosano Príncipe, Caracol Chino, Churo Blanco, and  Murícido Jefe.

Description: Prince Murex Shells are large and consist of around six whorls. They have a fairly low spire and five or six very spiny varices. The siphon canal is closed, long, and spiny. They have a large aperture, with several hollow spines projecting from the outer lip. The exterior of the shell is white, with numerous brown to black spiral lines; the interior is white.  Prince Murex Shells reach a maximum of 14.0 cm (5.5 inches) in length and  10.7 cm (4.2 inches) in height.

Habitat and Distribution: Prince Murexes are found on and under coral, rocks, and rock ledges. They live in the intertidal zone, and to depths up to 55 m (135 feet). They are a tropical Eastern Pacific species that are found in all Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean with the exception that they are absent from north of Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, along the central and northwest coasts of the Baja Peninsula and north of Puertecitos,  Baja California, in the Sea of Cortez.

Ecology and Behavior: Prince Murexes are a poorly studied and understood species. There is very limited documentation of their diet, predation, or ecosystem interactions. Other species in genus Hexaplex are predators that feed primarily on bivalves, bryozoans, carrion, gastropods, and tunicates. They are gonochoric and reproduce sexually. The eggs are laid in protective capsules. Their engagement in any type of commensal, parasitic, or symbiotic relationship has not been formally documented. From a conservation perspective the Prince Murex has not been formally evaluated. However, they are fairly common with a relatively wide distribution and should be consider to be of Least Concern.

Synonyms: Hexaplex (Muricanthus) princeps, Hexaplex (Trunculariopsis) princeps, Murex princeps, and Muricanthus princeps.