Curator’s Corner

Museum, research, and collection updates from Dr. José H. Leal, plus Shell of the Week, which highlights a different species every other Friday. Most Shells of the Week are found in Southwest Florida.

Dr. José H. Leal serves as the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & Aquarium’s Science Director and Curator. He received his Ph.D. in Marine Biology and Fisheries from the University of Miami and has served at the Museum since 1996.

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

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

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.

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,

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

Shell of the Week: The Crown Cone

Conus regius is one of the most common species of cone snails present along the east coast of Florida and the Keys. Reaching circa 75 mm (3 inches) in height, the shell has a spire adorned with small knobs that impart the look of a crown to the “top” of the shell. The color patterns are variable, with most specimens showing a combination of broad brown spiral bands and brownish flecks set on a white background. Some specimens, however, can be paler, with yellow-brown markings and sometimes almos

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

Florida at Risk from Potential Invasions by Mollusks

In a very comprehensive article published in 2023, Deah Lieurance (Agronomy Department, University of Florida, Gainesville) and her collaborators* have identified and discussed potential organisms capable of establishing themselves in Florida. Using a process known as horizon scanning, the authors determined the pathways for invasion and possible impacts of non-native animal and plant species on local ecosystems in the Sunshine State within the next decade. Among the 460 species evaluated, from

Join Me for a Unique Galapagos Adventure

The National Shell Museum and Aquarium is organizing a trip to the Galapagos Islands in September 2024, and I will have the honor to lead mollusk observations and present talks (among other activities during the trip) in that unique journey of exploration. The Galapagos Islands are famous for their role in the development of Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection, which ultimately became one of the solid foundations of our current understanding of evolution. Due to their origin and type of