Homalocantha anatomica

Homalocantha anatomica (common name: "Pele's Murex" or "Anatomical Murex") is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails.

Taxonomy

 * Subspecies Homalocantha anatomica anatomica Perry, 1811
 * Subspecies Homalocantha anatomica elatensis Heiman & Mienis, 2009 : synonym of Homalocantha elatensis Heiman & Mienis, 2009
 * Subspecies Homalocantha anatomica pele H. A. Pilsbry, 1921
 * Variety Homalocantha anatomica var. zamboi Burch & Burch, 1960 : synonym of Homalocantha zamboi (Burch & Burch, 1960)

Distribution
This species occurs in the Red Sea and throughout the Indo-Western Pacific, from Japan, Philippines and Fiji to the Hawaiian Islands.

Description
Adult shell size of Homalocantha anatomica varies between 38 mm and 63 mm. These shells are solid, whitish in color, sometimes tinted with yellow or red and moderately light in weight, with five to six varices per whorl. Aperture is small and white or pink. Labial lip shows irregular denticles. Columella is smooth and siphonal canal is moderately long.

Biology
These sea snails feed primarily on boring mussels in reef rocks.