Siratus alabaster 165 (Muricoidea: Muricidae: Muricinae)

[JackSullivan]

Beautiful pure white shell from the PI.

Besides there use for dyestuff manufacture in the Mediterranean, the Muricidae are found nearly worldwide: Australia, New Zealand, Mexico. They have a unique metabolic pathway that starts with the amino acid tryptophan & results in a colorless molecule that contains bromine, one of the halogens it extracts from sea water. Bromine tends to make chemicals containing it toxic & it is thought that this brominated indole compound is used for antimicrobial protection of the snail's egg masses.