Mollusks

Blanket Octopus, Black Water, and Linda Iannello

These photos of a rare open-water Blanket Octopus, Tremoctopus violaceus, were taken by Linda Iannello off Palm Beach County, Florida. In the open ocean, lots of open-water, or pelagic, animals move up from deeper water to feed at night. The Blanket Octopus is one such species. Finding and photographing a living one, in this case a five-foot female, is no small feat. Consider this: a SCUBA diver who likes to take photos of marine animals, going out three to five miles off the coast of East Flo

A Shelly Nest

In 1982, I spent 34 days in Atol das Rocas, Brazil, amassing data for what later became part of my Ph.D. dissertation on gastropod mollusks from Brazilian oceanic islands. The 89-acres atoll is inhabited by large populations of seabirds, including the Sooty Tern (Sterna fuscata). The photo shows one of their nests. Typically, in the absence of twigs, branches, and leaves, Sooty Terns use bivalve shells (mostly the Cross-barred Venus, Chione cancellata) and small coral fragments to "line" their

Shell of the Week: The Beautiful Top Snail

Calliostoma pulchrum (C.B. Adams, 1850) is the rarest of the local shallow-water species of the family Calliostomatidae. Shells may reach about 18 mm (about ¾ inch), have flat-sided whorls with a few beaded cords, and a larger beaded cord just above the suture (the line separating adjacent whorls.) The species has the smaller spire angle (angle formed by the two shell sides) of all local top snail species. The general color pattern is a tan background mottled with reddish-brown spots and grayish

Shell of the Week: The Waxy Gould Clam

Gouldia cerina (C.B. Adams, 1845), is a relatively small (10 mm, or about 0.4 inch), locally occurring venus clam (family Veneridae). Its shell is triangular, narrow when viewed from the beak (the “top” of the shell), and sculptured with fine radial lines and commarginal (“concentric”) growth ridges. The color is white, sometimes with a few brownish radial bands and brown flecks, internally suffused with purple tinges.This species lives in shallow, sandy areas. The Waxy Gould Clam, Gouldia ceri

A Benign Behemoth: The Giant Keyhole Limpet

Reaching about 125 mm (about 5 inches), the Giant Keyhole Limpet, Megathura crenulata G.B. Sowerby I, 1825, is one of the behemoths of the limpet universe. A herbivore gastropod, this unusual mollusk stands out not only because of its size, but also because its mantle can extend out, completely enveloping the shell. The Giant Keyhole Limpet’s blood molecule hemocyanin (a molecule that carries oxygen pretty much like hemoglobin does in vertebrates) has the potential for use as a vaccine-carrier

Shell App Creator is 2018 Volunteer of the Year!

At the recent March 19 Volunteer Recognition luncheon, Executive Director Dorrie Hipschman, assisted by Outreach Coordinator Leigh Gay, awarded the 2018 Volunteer of the Year Award to Bill Emerson. A software engineer and entrepreneur, Bill developed, as a gift to the Museum, the new shell identification application for smart phones. Bill took a special interest and appreciation for the Museum after his wife Arlene Drack graduated as a Museum Shell Ambassador in 2017. He, engineer Meindert Niem

Shell of the Week: The Lilac Auger

Terebra vinosa Dall, 1889 is a small auger snail that may reach 20 mm (about 0.8 inch). One of the main features that separate this species from other local augers is the shape of the whorl profile: the whorl in side view is concave, and different specimens show different degrees of concavity. The shell sculpture consists of about 22 axial (“vertical”) ribs crossed by flat, indistinctive cords. The species name alludes to the wine shell color, although some individuals may have whitish, cream, l

Meet the Hairy Triton

The Hairy Triton, Monoplex pilearis (Linnaeus, 1758) is a relatively common tropical western Atlantic species that is present also in the tropical Indian and Pacific oceans, including Polynesia and Hawaii. The long-lasting pelagic (open-water) larvae in this species allow for ocean crossing at the larval stage, one of the reasons for its broad geographical distribution. Museum collaborator and outstanding underwater photographer Anne DuPont captured this image off Pompano Beach in Florida. Her

Flirting with Danger?

In this photo, taken at one of the Museum's Live Tanks, an inch-long Tampa Bay Top Snail (Calliostoma tampaense) is seen hitching a ride on the operculum (or "trapdoor") of a large Horse Conch (Triplofusus giganteus). Horse Conchs are active predators, feeding mostly on other large mollusks. The Horse Conch in this photo, however, is probably well-fed and satiated, so that the top snail can safely enjoy the rest of the ride without becoming the conch's mid-afternoon snack! Read more about loca

Shell of the Week: The Sculptured Top Snail

Calliostoma euglyptum (A. Adams, 1855) is one of the locally rarer species of the family top snail family Calliostomatidae. Commonly reaching about 18 mm (about ¾ inch), the species has characteristic, slightly rounded whorl sides, and a base without a well-defined, deep umbilicus, the orifice present on the center of the base of other species of the family. The color is dull-rose or orangish-brown, with faint streaks of lighter color. The Sculptured Top Snail, Calliostoma euglyptum. Photo by J