Description
The firetail or firetail (Haustellum brandaris, originally described as Murex brandaris), synonym Bolinus brandaris, is a marine gastropod mollusk in the Muricidae family. The shell is thick-walled and has convex whorls. The last whorl takes up most of the shell's height, reaching approximately 90 mm in total. The shell structure consists of numerous horizontal ribs and several keels, the uppermost of which is the most pronounced. The horizontal ribs are crossed by varicose veins. At the intersections of the ribs and varicose veins are large knobs that can also develop into fairly long spines. The mouth opens into a long siphonal canal at the bottom. The shell is light yellow-brown to cream in color. The firetail has a horny operculum. The species lives below the low tide line in the infralittoral and circalittoral zones. These animals are carnivorous.
The shell (or in snails, also called the "snail shell") is an external skeleton (usually made of lime (calcite and/or aragonite) and other minerals, produced by a mollusk (phylum Mollusca). The shell provides the animal with stability and protects it from external influences such as predation, injury, dehydration, etc. The shell grows along with the mollusk throughout its life. The science that studies all aspects of mollusks is called malacology. A branch of malacology that deals exclusively with the shell is called conchology. In the past, it was wrongly believed that malacology did not deal with the shell, and some people made a very clear distinction between malacology and conchology. In current practice, the terms are often used interchangeably and are more or less considered synonyms. Shells can be used to pave a walkway, which is then sometimes called a "shell path." Shells can also be burned to make shell lime, which was often used as a building material in the past instead of cement.
Shells from Cebu.
