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.

COA 2022 Convention: Well Done, Texas!

National Shell Museum’s Executive Director Sam Ankerson and I recently participated in the Conchologists of America (COA) 2022 Convention in Galveston, Texas. The successful event was held at the Moody Garden Hotel and Convention Center, which also hosts a world-class Aquarium and an cool, oops, hot and humid Rainforest “biosphere”. At the gathering, I presented a talk about science and research at the Museum and, on the way home, Sam and I took the opportunity to visit the comprehensive Houston

Shell of the Week: The Atlantic Yellow Cowrie

Naria acicularis(Gmelin, 1791), reaches 31 mm (about 1.2 inches). The shell is very variable in coloration and shape, but with a general coloration of yellow to tan with whitish or darker spots. The base and apertural “teeth” are white. The species has a broad distribution in the tropical western Atlantic (but is not present in SW Florida) and is related and relatively similar to the recent Caribbean invasive Trush Cowrie (Naria turdus), and must not be confused with the latter, which tends to b

Shell of the Week: The Alternate-ribbed Scallop

In my opinion, the Alternate-ribbed Scallop, Caribachlamys mildredae(F.M. Bayer, 1941), is one of the most elegant species in the diverse scallop family Pectinidae. The species reaches 40 mm (about 1.6 inches). The anterior auricle (“ear-like” expansion near shell beak) is larger than the posterior one. In addition, the left valve is more compressed than the right one, and the shell sculpture pattern is complex, with ribs on the surface of the left valve bearing distinctive scale-like projection

A Cool Ovulid

Rotaovula hirohitoi is a species of the family Ovulidae (also known as “false cowries”) that inhabits the waters of Japan and the western Pacific Ocean, including the Philippine Islands. The species was named by Cate and Azuma to honor Emperor Hirohito, Japan’s longest-reigning emperor (1926–1989), who was also a marine biologist and malacologist. The delicate, elegant shell is very ornate, with nodules and projections that may impart structural strength. The color pattern includes from two to f

The Flamboyant Cuttlefish

Here are a couple of images of one of our charming Flamboyant Cuttlefish. Unlike most other cephalopods, Flamboyant Cuttlefish, Metasepia pfefferi, are active during the day, hunting small invertebrates. Native to the eastern Indian Ocean and Southwest Pacific, Flamboyant Cuttlefish are highly resilient, and their outgoing behavior and ability to incessantly change color patterns make them one of the favorites with visitors. Visit the Museum’s Living Gallery to learn more about the Flamboyant Cu

Shell of the Week: The Smith Nutmeg

Axelella smithii (Dall, 1888), reaches 17 mm (about 0.7 inches). The shell is relatively thick and the shell sculpture includes about 8–10 raised axial (“vertical”) ribs per whorl. The ribs are separated by wider interspaces, and are crossed by alternating stronger and weaker, raised spiral cords. The color is variable, ranging from whitish-yellow to orangish-brown. The interior of the aperture is usually of lighter color and bears spiral threads. And the protoconch is brown, smooth, bulbous, wi

Shell of the Week: The Hexagonal Murex

Murexsul oxytatus(M. Smith, 1938) reaches 40 mm (about 1.6 inches). The shell is lozenge-shaped, and the shell sculpture includes about 7–8 raised ribs per whorl, each rib bearing a number of sharp, fluted projections. The color is variable, ranging from white to salmon pink. The interior of the aperture is usually white. #murexsuloxytatus #muricopsisoxytatus #muricidae #hexagonalmurex #pompanobeach

Shell of the Week: The Giant Date Mussel

Lithophaga antillarum(d’Orbigny, 1853) reaches 120 mm (about 4.7 inches). The shell is cylindrical, rounded anteriorly, inflated, with brownish, lustrous periostracum (outer shell layer). Giant Date Mussels bore into dead coral or limestone rock. Lithophaga antillarum has a broad distribution in the Gulf of Mexico and the tropical western Atlantic, from the Florida Keys to Brazil, but is not found locally in SW Florida. Given its life habits, this is a difficult species to observe or collect, as

The Southern Flatcoil Snail

Polygyra cereolus (Mühlfeld, 1816), reaches at most 18 mm (about 0.7 inch). The species is found in Florida and other parts of the southeastern US. As the name implies, flatcoil snails have "flat" shells with a relatively large number of tightly coiled whorls. The shell opening bears a characteristic tooth-like projection (see below). The great photo above of a living snail was recently taken by Lorin Buckner in Fort Myers, Florida.#polygyracereolus #southernflatcoil #polygyridae #fortmyers #lan

That Dark Spot in the Eastern Oyster

If you look inside the valve (half-shell) of an Eastern Oyster, Crassostrea virginica, you'll see a large, dark spot (arrows) “engraved” on each half-shell, or valve. That spot is known as a muscle scar, and marks the place where the adductor muscle of the living animal attaches to the inside of each valve. The adductor muscles are used by bivalves such as oysters and clams to close their shells, and to keep them closed for long periods of time. The adductor muscle in oysters is divided into a “