Mollusks

The Reverse-coiled Whelks Project

I am working on a research project with colleagues Jerry Harasewych (Smithsonian) and Manuel Tenório (University of Cádiz, Spain) involving studies of shell shape in two species of whelks. If you have one or more right-handed (reverse-coiled) Lightning Whelks (*Sinistrofulgur sinistrum*) and / or left-handed Knobbed Whelks (*Busycon carica*) in your private or institutional shell collection, we would like to photograph them or have you assist by photographing them for us. Please send answers / q

Thrush Cowrie in the Florida Panhandle

The invasive Thrush Cowrie (Naria turdus) has been found off Panama City Beach, in the Florida Panhandle. In early July, diver and shell enthusiast Doug Thompson was diving inside a shipwreck located at a depth of 24 m (about 78’), when he found a “fresh dead” Thrush Cowrie shell. Doug reported that other divers had found the species living in the same area and off Destin, also in the Panhandle.  Originally from the Red Sea and western Indian Ocean, the tenacious invasive was first reported in t

Shell of the Week: The Giant Eastern Murex

Reaching in excess of 213 mm (about 8.4 inches), Hexaplex fulvescens is the largest murex species in the western Atlantic and one of the largest in the world’s oceans. Its massive shell is garnished with pointy spines and is very variable, appearing in tawny-brown, yellowish-brown, orangish, cream, and any number of variations of these colors (the Latin word fulvescens can be translated as “yellowish”). The species is found from North Carolina to Palm Beach County in Florida, and in the Gulf of

Fish or Mollusk?

A sea slug that lives in open water, looks and swims like a fish, and glows in the dark? That is Phylliroe bucephala, a transparent, bioluminescent, three inches-long nudibranch gastropod. The sea slug swims in the upper layers of the open ocean, throughout the world’s tropical and subtropical regions. This great image above, by black-water diver and photographer Linda Ianniello, shows the sea slug feeding on a small jellyfish, possibly an Aequorea species. (Zoom in, and you can see three amphip

My Copycat Volute!

During a past Conchologists of America (CoA) convention in Florida, I mentioned casually to Brazilian shell dealer Marcus Coltro ("Femorale") that, as a museum professional, I opted not to have a shell collection, to avoid the perception of conflict of interest. I told him that I particularly missed not having any examples of the species I named. A few days later in the mail I received from Marcus and his brother José Coltro this great shell of the Copycat Volute (Odontocymbiola simulatrix Leal

Shell of the Week: A Left-handed White Spot Marginella

This sinistral Prunum guttatum won the "Shell-of-the-Show, Self-collected" award at the Sanibel Shell Show (March 2024). It was part of an exhibit prepared by students and National Shell Museum & Aquarium volunteers Holt and Cabe Rieck. Their exhibit also won the Environmental Awareness Award at the show, as it dealt with the potential effects of temperature change on mollusks in the Florida Keys. Holt and Cabe collected this "one-in-a-million" shell at Loggerhead Beach at Bahia Honda Key.   #pr

Shell of the Week: The Dubious Volute

Aurinia dubia (Broderip, 1827) is the largest volute (family Volutidae) species in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, reaching 197 mm (about 7.8 inches) in length. The species has a relatively thin, tan-colored shell with sparse reddish-brown spots. The Dubious Volute can be found in relatively deep water, from 60 to 400 m (about 200 to 1,300 ft), from North Carolina south to both sides of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico.#auriniadubia #scaphelladubia #volutidae #drytortugas

Unraveling the True Identity of the Florida Cone

On May 30, 2024 I published with colleagues Greg Herbert, Bill Fenzan, Aaron Avery, and Federico Márquez, an article setting the record straight as to the true identity of the Florida Cone (Conus anabathrum Crosse, 1865), a common local species in Southwest Florida. The article wsa introduced at the last meeting of Florida United Malacologists (FUM) last April, on Sanibel.Download the open-access article here:https://academic.oup.com/mollus/article/90/2/eyae019/7684639 

Shell of the Week: The Warty Arene

Arene bairdii (Dall, 1889) is a small gastropod (up to 6 mm, or about ¼ inch) that belongs in the relatively small (in number of species) family Areneidae. The species has a pink-red shell with 5–7 rows of saw tooth-like projections. Arene species have a shelly, round operculum. This “Shell of the Week” is found from North Carolina south to northeastern Brazil. In the southern part of its range the species is found mostly in coral reef habitats. #arenebairdii #wartyarene #areneidae #cyclostreme

Matchless Moon Snails!

Have you checked the Lewis’s Moon Snails in the National Shell Museum & Aquarium’s Living Gallery? Neverita lewisii is one of the most impressive (and active) mollusks in our Cold-water Touch Pool. The Pacific Northwest species is the largest in the moon snail family Naticidae, with its shell reaching 14 cm (5.5 inches) in size. When out of its shell, the snail can uptake water to fill hollow spaces in the mantle and foot. This expands the size of the animal and creates a large plow-like structu