Bolinus is a genus of sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails.
This genus is known in the fossil record from the Miocene to the Pliocene period (age range: from 15.97 to 2.588 million years ago.). Fossil shells within this genus have been found in Cyprus, Austria, Italy and Turkey. Fossilworks
Some species of these molluscs were known since ancient times as a source for purple dye and also as a popular food source.
Description
The adult shells of Bolinus species can reach a size of about . They are usually pale or golden brown, thick and spiny with a long and straight siphonal canal and a rounded and broad body whorl.
They are carnivorous and predatory
Distribution Snails within this genus mainly live along the Atlantic coast of Africa and in the Mediterranean Sea.
Habitat They inhabit shallow water and prefer gravelled or rocky substrate.
Species Species within the genus Bolinus include: Bolinus brandaris (Linnaeus, 1758) Bolinus cornutus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Bolinus Brandaris Nivea Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dollfus, 1882
brandaris form trispinosus Locard 1886
Bolinus brandaris longispinus Coen 1914
brandaris form coronatus
brandaris form trituberculatus
brandaris form bicaudatus
brandaris form cagliaritanus
brandaris form brevis
brandaris form polii
brandaris form elongata
brandaris form coronatus x polii
brandaris form varicosus
brandaris form rubiginosus
Stigwan & Fabiod 2019
References
Merle D., Garrigues B. & Pointier J.-P. (2011) Fossil and Recent Muricidae of the world. Part Muricinae. Hackenheim: Conchbooks. 648 pp. Gofas, S.; Le Renard, J.; Bouchet, P. (2001). Mollusca. in: Costello, M.J. et al. (eds), European Register of Marine Species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Patrimoines Naturels. 50: 180-213
External links
Pusch, G. G. (1836-1837). Polens Paläontologie, oder Abbildung und Beschreibung der vorzüglichsten und der noch unbeschriebenen Petrefakten aus den Gebirgsformationen in Polen, Volhynien und den Karpathen, nebst einigen allgemeinen Beiträgen zur Petrefaktenkunde und einem Versuch zur Vervollständigung der Geschichte des Europäischen Auer-Ochsen. E. Schweizerbart's Verlagshandlung. Stuttgart. pp. 1-80, pl. 1-10 , pp. 81-218, pl. 11-15 Jousseaume, F. P. (1880). Division méthodique de la famille des Purpuridés. Le Naturaliste. 2(42): 335-338