Author Archives: José H. Leal

Ten remarkable marine species for 2023: four are mollusks!

The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) just released its annual list of the top-ten marine species described during 2023. A call for nominations was announced in December 2023, sent to all editors of WoRMS and editors of major taxonomy journals, and posted openly on the WoRMS website and social media so anyone had the opportunity to nominate their favorite marine species. Nominated species must have been described between January 1st and December 31st, 2023, and have come from the marine e

Shell of the Week: The Elusive Atlantic Geoduck

Panopea bitruncata is a large bivalve closely related to the famous Pacific Geoduck (Panopea generosa). The Atlantic species is very uncommon.Geoducks (goo·ee·duhks) are members of the bivalve family Hiatellidae. They live buried in mud, have long siphons that cannot fully retract into the shell, and a shell with valves that do not completely shut when joined together. The maximum reported length for the Atlantic Geoduck is 190 mm (7.48 inches), and the single valve in the second image (above),

A Show for the Record Books!

Congratulations to the Sanibel Captiva Shell Club and to all involved in the planning and execution of the comprehensive and super well-attended 2024 Sanibel Shell Show at the Marriott Sanibel Harbour Resort. It was the best shell show I’ve took part in and one for the record books!

The Fossil Conch and its Barnacles

During a recent Sanibel Shell Club field trip to a fossil pit in Punta Gorda (Charlotte County, Florida) led by Florida Museum’s own Roger Portell, Sabine Pratsch found this large but damaged Lobatus leidyi shell. Adult shells of this fossil species have a flared outer lip (like a Milk or Queen Conch), but this adult shell apparently had its flared outer lip broken off at some point. But what is really interesting about the shell is that a few barnacles were able to grow onto it (arrows), in the

Shell of the Week: The Bowden Murex

Pazinotus bowdenensis (E. H. Vokes, 1970), reaches about 14 mm (about 0.6 inch) in height. It shows a sculpture of about 6–7 strong varices per whorl. The varices bear prominent, curved spines on whorl shoulders. The color is whitish to cream-yellow, but some shells can be translucent and very delicately colored. The species was first named by Emily Vokes from a single fossil shell from the Bowden Formation (late Pliocene) in Jamaica but has since been found living off western Florida and Alabam

Behind the Scenes at the Museum Collection

The Fort Myers News-Press / Naples Daily News is publishing a series of articles to celebrate Shell Week (week of the Shell Show and Shell Festival). Last Wednesday’s article highlights work done in the collection department of the Museum. We are very happy with the opportunity, given that natural history collections usually don’t receive much airtime in the media. Thanks to News-Press staff, and in particular to Amy Williams, Mark Bickel, and Andrew West. Read the article here.

Shell of the Week: The Glory of the Atlantic Cone

Conus granulatus is an attractive cone snail that grows up to at least 64 mm (about 2.5 inches). Its shell shows spiral ridges that may or not bear granular bumps (hence the scientific name of the species). The background color is orange-red with one or more broad spiral brown bands, with variations in intensity of these colors. The species is found throughout the Caribbean Sea, including the Bahamas, and off the east coast of Florida and the Florida Keys.#conusgranulatus #gloryoftheatlanticcone

Shells of the World: A Natural History

Dr M.G. “Jerry” Harasewych is a research zoologist emeritus and former curator of mollusks at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution. He is also the author of several books on shells and a former member of the National Shell Museum and Aquarium board of trustees. His latest creation is a volume covering the great diversity found in the phylum Mollusca, showing examples from all molluscan classes. The illustrations are fantastic, and the natural history information, inclu

A Beautiful Day at Lighthouse Beach!

I had a great early-morning beach walk on Valentine’s Day at Sanibel’s Lighthouse Beach with journalists Andrew West and Mark Bickel, working on a Fort Myers News-Press article about mollusks and shelling. The clam shells in the photo above, mostly Disk Dosinias, Calico Scallops, and Giant Cockles were being moved by miniature waves, one by one, from the water to that wrack line! We could actually see (and discuss) the process of shells coming ashore just before our eyes! It was a beautiful day,

FUM Turns Fourteen!

Florida United Malacologists (FUM) is a one-day gathering that brings together researchers, collectors, citizen scientists, enthusiasts, and students interested in a broad range of mollusk-related topics. The annual event is turning 14 years of age this year! The first FUM was held at the National Shell Museum in 2010, following a suggestion by the late Alan Gettleman and Phyllis Diegel. Since then, the Museum has hosted FUM every even-numbered year. In odd-numbered years, FUM was hosted by the