Editing Murex (section)

{{Short description|Genus of gastropods}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| fossil_range = {{fossil range|125.45|0|[[Cretaceous]] - Recent}}
| image = Murex pecten shell 3.jpg
| image_caption = Apertural view of the shell of [[Venus comb murex]], ''Murex pecten'', anterior end towards the bottom of the page
| taxon = Murex
| authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]]
| type_species= ''Murex tribulus'' <small>Linnaeus, 1758</small> 
| synonyms_ref = <ref name="WoRMS" /> 
| synonyms = 
* ''Acupurpura'' <small>[[Félix Pierre Jousseaume|Jousseaume]], 1880</small>
* ''Aranea'' <small>[[George Perry (naturalist)|Perry]], 1810</small> (<small>Invalid: junior homonym of Aranea [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]] [Arachnida]</small>)
* ''Murex (Murex)'' <small>Linnaeus, 1758·</small> accepted, alternate representation
* ''Murex (Promurex)'' <small>Ponder & Vokes, 1988</small>· accepted, alternate representation
* ''Murex (Tubicauda)'' <small>Jousseaume, 1880</small> junior subjective synonym
* † ''Muricites'' <small>Schlotheim, 1820</small>  (Invalid under Art. 20: name established for fossils, formed by adding the suffix -ites to the genus name Murex.)
* ''Tubicauda'' <small>[[Félix Pierre Jousseaume|Jousseaume]], 1880</small>
}}

'''''Murex''''' is a [[genus]] of medium to large sized [[predatory]] tropical [[sea snail]]s. These are [[carnivore|carnivorous]] [[marine (ocean)|marine]] [[gastropod]] [[mollusc]]s in the family [[Muricidae]], commonly called "murexes" or "rock snails".<ref name="WoRMS">Houart, R.; Gofas, S. (2010). Murex Linnaeus, 1758. In: Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S.; Rosenberg, G. (2010) World Marine Mollusca database. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=138196 on 2011-04-09</ref>

The common name '''murex''' is still used for many species in the family [[Muricidae]] which were originally given the Latin generic name ''Murex,'' but have more recently been regrouped into newer genera. ''Murex'' was used in antiquity to describe spiny sea snails, especially those associated with the production of purple dye''. Murex'' is one of the oldest classical seashell names still used by the scientific community.

Aristotle described these mollusks in his ''History of Animals'' using the Greek term '''πορφύρα''' (''porphyra'').<ref>{{Cite book |last=Aristotle. |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.19197 |title=History of animals in ten books |date=1902 |publisher=G. Bell |location=London}}</ref>