Is this a Giant Eastern Murex? It's not that big.

[justknitty]

I'm assuming this shell is in the Muricidae family.  I'm EXTREMELY new to all this but I'm not sure it is the Giant Eastern Murex because the pictures and descrïptions I've seen have a glossy white interior lining and the one I have is a vivid pink.  It's exterior also shows part of the pink glowing from the inside and while it does have some brown striping it is not as dark or pronounced as pictures I've seen of the Murex.  It measures 5" long, 2 1/4 inches high and 3" at it's widest point.

THANKS

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[paul monfils]

Hello. Welcome to the forum. Your shell is indeed in the family Muricidae; but it is not the Giant Eastern Murex. It is the Pink-mouth Murex, Phyllonotus erythrostomus, from West Central America. The Latin name actually means the same thing as the English name. "erythro" means "red" or "pink"; "stomus" means "mouth".

[justknitty]

THANK YOU!

[tom heimer]

Where did you find the Pink Mouth? I found one years ago in El Desemboque, Sonora, Mexico on the NE shore of Gulf of California. The Giant Eastern is bigger, with longer & pointier "spines", and is common on wrecks in the Gulf of Mexico, but can wander closer to shore at times