Ancient shellfish used for purple dye vanishes from eastern Med

Red-mouthed rock shell was one of main sources of Tyrian purple and study blames its collapse on rising sea temperatures

The shellfish that was one of the main sources of Tyrian purple - one of the most storied and valuable trading products in the ancient world - has disappeared from the eastern Mediterranean coast, amid warnings of an ongoing multi-species collapse blamed on global rises in sea temperatures.

Described by Aristotle and Pliny among other ancient writers, Tyrian purple or imperial purple was a dye extracted from shellfish along the Levant coast and favoured by emperors and kings in a trade of huge value. Associated with royalty, clothes with purple in them were believed to convey high status.