Apple Murex

At a glance

Apple Murex (Phyllonotus pomum) is a marine snail present across the CatchRules coverage area but without species-specific bag, size, or season rules tracked in our regulatory dataset.

Confirmed by 803 research-grade iNaturalist observations, with Florida, Texas, and North Carolina the top jurisdictions by observation count.

Notable details

• Named for its apple-sized, knobby shell, which can reach 4 inches in length.
• A predatory snail that bores through bivalve shells to consume the soft tissue inside.
• Found in shallow coastal waters of the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean.
• The muscular foot is edible and consumed in some Gulf Coast and Caribbean communities.
• It locates prey by detecting chemical signals carried in the surrounding water.

Where Apple Murex are seen

• Florida749 iNat obs
• Texas26 iNat obs
• North Carolina14 iNat obs
• Alabama8 iNat obs
• South Carolina5 iNat obs
• Louisiana1 iNat obs

Background

Phyllonotus pomum, common name the "apple murex", is a species of large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails.

Background excerpt adapted from Wikipedia's Apple Murex article (CC BY-SA). Visit Wikipedia for the full entry.