Mollusks

The Florida Regal Doris

Felimare picta is one of the nudibranch sea slugs (shell-less gastropods with external gills) found offshore along Sanibel Island and other parts of Southwest Florida. Reaching 13 cm (about 5.1 inches), it is one of the largest nudibranch species in the western Atlantic Ocean. It is also one of the most attractive, showing an elegant color pattern of yellow lines and elliptical markings against a dark blue, sometimes almost black, background. The gills are visible as a set of feather-like projec

2023 Bivalves Workshop: A Success Story

On November 8-10, I taught the 2023 Marine Bivalves workshop, promoted by the Florida Association of Aquatic Biologists (FAB) at the University of Tampa’s Marine Science Field Station, in Tampa. The workshop dealt with the natural history and identification of local marine bivalve mollusks. The 2.5-day event was attended by marine biologists from, among other institutions, the University of Tampa, University of South Florida, United States Geological Survey, and Smithsonian Marine Station at For

Shell of the Week: The White-spot Dove Snail

Mitrella ocellata is a small (13 mm, or 0.5 inch) marine snail from the dove snail family Columbellidae. Its shell shows a color pattern of white spots set on a chestnut-brown background, and a set of denticles on the outer shell lip. The species is found in the tropical western Atlantic Ocean from east Florida to southeastern Brazil. The species is found also on the mid-Atlantic oceanic islands of Trindade, Ascension, and Santa Helena. Illustration by James F. Kelly.#mitrellaocellata #mwhitespo

Shell of the Week: The Gulf Stream Miter

Isara straminea is a predatory gastropod of the miter family Mitridae that reaches 30 mm (about 1.2 inches). The species is found in relatively shallow water from off North Carolina, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, south to southeastern Brazil. The shell has a characteristic sculpture of revolving spiral cords, and is usually white or white with large, irregular light-brown spots. The illustration was created by Chris Kovaz for the Museum’s Digital Imaging Project.#isarastraminea #gulfstreammiter #mi

Florida United Malacologists 2024

Save the Date! The next meeting of Florida United Malacologists (FUM) will take place on Sanibel Island, Florida, on Saturday, April 13, 2024. The one-day gathering brings together researchers, collectors, students, citizen scientists, and enthusiasts interested in a broad range of mollusk-related topics. The event is free for registrants, but you must be registered to attend. Registration will start on January 1st, 2024. Read more about previous FUM events here. We hope to see you at FUM 2024!

Here to Stay!

Since the discovery of the Thrush Cowrie, Naria turdus, in Florida in December 2022*, several other findings of the species have been informally reported for the east coast of Florida, most between Palm Beach County and Key West in the lower Florida Keys. The Thrush Cowrie originates from the Red Sea and western Indian Ocean, and had been introduced to the Mediterranean and Caribbean seas. One of the most recent sightings of the species took place in the same general area as that of the first fi

Shell of the Week: The Jupiter Dondice

At 10 mm in length (a little less than 0.5 inch), the Jupiter Dondice, Dondice jupiteriensis García-Mendez, Padula, and Valdés, 2022, is one of the smallest (and most attractive) local species of nudibranchs (shell-less gastropods). The Jupiter Dondice has “moustache-like,” oral tentacles (left on image.) These tentacles can reach more than half the slug’s body length! The rhinophores, sensorial projections behind the oral tentacles, have irregular arrangements of rings on their upper half. The

Shell of the Week: The Smooth Flame Scallop

The Smooth Flame Scallop, Ctenoides mitis (Lamarck, 1807), is not a true scallop, but a member of the file clam family Limidae. It can can reach in excess of the 70 mm (about 2.76 inches). Its shell is relatively thin, bears a large number of fine radial ribs, and a thin brown periostracum. The Smooth Flame Scallop can be distinguished from the generally similar Rough File Clam, Ctenoides scaber, by the larger number of ribs. The species can be found off the coast of Florida, the Florida Keys, a

New Snail Named After Jimmy Buffet’s Song!

Very fittingly, a new marine snail was named this week after Jimmy Buffet’s best-known song, Margaritaville. Cayo margarita is a new species of worm snail from the Florida Keys reported by Rüdiger Bieler and collaborators that made the national news, including a nice article on CNN “Space + Science” online news. The bright lemon-yellow color of the snail’s “skin” provided the initial inspiration for the scientific name of the species. (And the genus name Cayo—low island, or key, in Spanish—honor

Shell of the Week: The Dwarf Planaxis

Hinea lineata is a small gastropod that reaches only about 10 mm (0.4 inch). The shell is smooth, and typically with narrow, brown spiral bands set against a cream-colored background. The species is found intertidally (between low and high tide lines) from East Florida, Bermuda, Bahamas, throughout the Caribbean south to Venezuela, and mid-Atlantic oceanic islands.