Mollusks

Shell of the Week: The Obscure Dwarf Triton

Colubraria testacea is a marine snail that grows to about 50 mm (about 2 inches). Colubraria species are found in tropical shallow seas and are known to feed (usually at night) on blood from reef fish, in particular parrot fishes of the family Scaridae. The western Atlantic Obscure Dwarf Triton is found from eastern Florida south to the Caribbean and the coast of eastern Brazil and, as the vernacular name suggests, resembles a small triton shell.#colubrariatestacea #obscuredwarftriton #colubrari

The Mighty Queen Helmet

Cassis madagascariensis is one of the largest species of mollusks living in the shallow, clean waters of the tropical western Atlantic Ocean, including Florida and the Gulf of Mexico. This spectacular mollusk, which can reach more than 40 cm (about 16 inches) in length, is a member of the family Cassidae of helmet and bonnet snails.As shown in the photo above, helmet snails feed on sea urchins and sea biscuits such as the Long-spined Sea Biscuit (Plagiobrissus grandis). During feeding, Queen Hel

Shell of the Week: The Atlantic Gray Cowrie

The Atlantic Gray Cowrie (Luria cinerea) is a relatively common species of Cowrie inhabiting shallow coral reef areas in the tropical western Atlantic. The species is not found, however, on the coast of Southwest Florida. As happens with most species from the cowrie family (Cypraeidae), the Atlantic Gray Cowrie bears planktonic larvae. Their offspring drift in the sea until metamorphosis to their adult, bottom-crawling lives.The larval shell is very distinctive from the adult one in this and oth

Shell of the Week: The Blood Ark

Lunarca ovalis is an ark clam that stands out because of its heavy fur-like periostracum, or outermost shell layer. Reaching 64 mm (about 2.5 inches), its shell is inflated, oval, and is almost as long as it is high, being one of the shorter ark clams in Florida. As with most members of the family Arcidae, the shell bears a number of radial ribs. The vernacular (“common”) name of this species refers to the color of its blood, imparted by the presence of a form of hemoglobin. The latter helps imp

Shell of the Week: The Four-ribbed Lucine

Pleurolucina leucocyma reaches 7 mm (about 0.28 inch) in length. Its shell is unusually shaped (like a "warped triangle”) and bears 3 or 4 thick radial ribs crossed by fine commarginal (“concentric”) lines. The color is cream to off-white. The species is found off North Carolina, both coasts of Florida, Gulf of Mexico, and the Bahamas. #pleurolucinaleucocyma #lucinidae #drytortugas #lucinaleucocyma

A Hungry Giant Triton!

Check this Giant Triton (Monoplex parthenopeus), happily feasting on a clam in the Focal Tank at the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & Aquarium. Its proboscis is deep inside the clam shell! Giant Tritons feed on other mollusks. The species is relatively common in the western Atlantic and is also present in parts of the Indian and Pacific oceans. Notice the lush, hair-like periostracum, or outer shell layer and its “polka-dot” spotted mantle, foot, and proboscis! This particular individual

Shell of the Week: The Bubble Melampus

Melampus bullaoides is a close relative of the more common and local Coffee Melampus (Melampus coffea). Like the Coffee Melampus, the Bubble Melampus lives in mangrove areas, where it thrives well above the tide lines. The shell shape of the Bubble Melampus is strikingly different, however; this species has a relatively longer and pointed spire and shorter aperture (shell “opening”). This imparts a “bullet shape” to the shell. The shell color is mahogany-brown, with fuzzy white bands near the sh

The Common Jingle and its Byssus

Widespread on the beaches of Southwest Florida, Common Jingles (Anomia simplex) appear in many colors. In the jingle family Anomiidae, the top shell valve is whole, while the bottom one has an opening.Like mussels and some other bivalves, jingles are attached to hard surfaces by a byssus, which originates from a gland in the foot. In jingles, that opening on the bottom valve lets the byssus pass through the shell before attaching to the host surface.In mussels and other bivalves, the byssus usua

Shell of the Week: The Small Phos

Bailya parva is a small but attractive gastropod that reaches only 20 mm (about 0.8 inch). Its shell sculpture presents 10–12 axial (“vertical”) ribs crossed by spiral lines, with beads forming at the intersections. The shell color is yellowish- to mahogany-brown with broad white bands. The species is found off Florida, Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea. This species may be difficult to distinguish from the Intricate Phos (Bailya intricata), a species with similar distribution; this latter,

Shell of the Week: The Agassiz’s Nutmeg

Agatrix agassizii (Dall, 1889) reaches 13.5 mm (about 0.53 inch). It has a distinctive shell shape with well-defined whorl shoulders, which impart a “stepped” aspect to the entire shell. The species is found in moderately deep water (33 to 91 m, or about 108 to 300 feet) from off the Carolinas to the northern Caribbean, including the northeastern Gulf of Mexico and the waters off western Florida.   #agatrixagassizii #agassizsnutmeg #cancellariidae #cancellariaagassizi #cedarkey