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.

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

Shell of the Week: The Atlantic Diplodon

Diplodonta punctata is a small clam that reaches only about 19 mm (3/4 inch). The Atlantic Diplodon belongs to the relatively small bivalve family Ungulinidae. Its shell is inflated (“swollen”), with a sculpture of fine growth lines and hinge with very small teeth. The species is found in the Gulf of Mexico and from North Carolina through the Caribbean Sea south Venezuela, and in Bermuda. Illustration created in December 2020 by James F. Kelly for the Museum’s Digital Imaging Project.#diplodonta

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

Southwest Florida Shells Guide Remodeled!

The National Shell Museum is proud to announce that, as of January 1, 2024, a new version of its Shell Guide has been released. The online guide was created and is maintained by the Museum’s Science Director and Curator Dr José H. Leal. It currently features 401 species of shallow-water marine mollusks from the area between Tampa Bay and the Ten Thousand Islands. “Southwest Florida Shells” has been for many years the main identification resource used for the area by marine biologists, conservati

Shell of the Week: The Deep-water Dove Snail

Astyris profundi is a small gastropod that reaches about 8 mm (about 0.31 inch). The species is found in depths between 200 and 500 meters (about 657 and 1640 feet). Its shell is relatively smooth, with most of the sculpture limited to spiral threads around the base and around the siphonal canal (the “bottom” of the shell in the images). The shell is clear, somewhat translucent. The Deep-water Dove Snail is found from off North Carolina to northern Cuba, and the species apparently is not found i

The Gills of Bivalves

Did you know that the gills of mollusks are called ctenidia? Ctenidia (singular ctenidium) consist of filaments arranged in comb- or feather-like structures. In aquatic mollusks, the ctenidia are the main respiratory organs, absorbing oxygen dissolved in the water for the metabolic functions of those animals.The vast majority of bivalves are filter-feeding species: they strain the water to capture their food, usually microalgae or other types of microorganisms. In an interesting twist of evoluti

Shell of the Week: The Knave Marginella

Prunum torticulum Dall, 1881, is a small gastropod that reaches only 11.5 mm. The species can be distinguished from other species of Prunum by its unusual aspect (the word torticulum derives from the Latin word for “crooked,” “twisted,” or “arched”). In the original description of the species, Smithsonian zoologist William Healey Dall observed that “the twist gives the shell a very peculiar and highly characteristic appearance.” In addition to that, the shell spire is usually covered with a rela