Vokesimurex hirasei, coloquially Hirase's Murex, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae.
Description The Vokesimurex hirasei measures approximately 72.1mm in body length, weighing about 40.4 grams.https://www.eol.org/pages/4831588. www.eol.org. Retrived 2026-09-14. The length of its shell varies between 60 mm and 124 mm. Said shells are easily identifiable by their "multispiral, conical protoconch."https://zenodo.org/records/5491329. Retrieved 14 September 2026.
Discovery The Murex hirasei Dautzenburg was originally discovered in 1915 by Philippe Dautzenburg. The species was named after conchologist Yoichirō Hirase in honor of his work, The Illustrations of a Thousand Shells. However, its genus was soon changed to Vokesimurex. Distribution The species inhabits regions in Asian and Oceania, including the Philippines, East China Sea, Taiwan, Japan, Fiji, Tonga Islands, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia.https://zenodo.org/records/5491329. tb.plazi.org. Retrieved 14 September 2026.
Typically, Vokesimurex hirasei live within deeper bodies of water (typically between 237 to 335 meters), where temperatures measure around 20 to 30°C (68°F to 86°F). They prefer sea surface salinities of 35-40 PSU.
References
Hirase Y. (1914-1915). The illustrations of a thousand shells. Part 1 (1914), Parts 2‑3, (1915). Houart, R. & Héros, V., 2008. Muricidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) from Fiji and Tonga. Mémoires du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle 196: 437-480 Merle D., Garrigues B. & Pointier J.-P. (2011) Fossil and Recent Muricidae of the world. Part Muricinae. Hackenheim: Conchbooks. 648 pp Houart, R. (2014). Living Muricidae of the world. Muricinae. Murex, Promurex, Haustellum, Bolinus, Vokesimurex and Siratus. Harxheim: ConchBooks. 197 pp.