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 Green Star Snail

Up to this day, for the past seven years I have been covering mostly Sanibel and Captiva mollusks and their shells. Today, I am expanding the “Shell of the Week” column to include species found elsewhere in Florida. Let’s start with the Green Star Snail. Lithopoma tuber (Linnaeus, 1758). The species has a thick, heavy shell that may exceed 75 mm (3 inches), and is covered with a simple sculpture of raised knobs and finely etched, intersecting lines. But the eye-catching feature of this shell is

Squids in Space

Now our Giant Pacific Octopus is jealous! On June 3, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center will launch SpaceX’s 22nd resupply mission to the International Space Station. In the payload of the Falcon 9 rocket are several immature Glow-in the-Dark Bobtail Squid, Euprymna scolopes. The young squids are part of a research project titled UMAMI, short for Understanding of Microgravity on Animal-Microbe Interactions. The project examines the effects of spaceflight on interactions between beneficial microbes and

In Focus Exhibition Opens Tomorrow!

The new exhibition of some 60 high-resolution, large-scale photographs, taken in recent years at the Museum, conveys in compelling detail the richness and unique attributes of the universe of shells and mollusks. It features many species unfamiliar to most collectors and enthusiasts.Organized by Dr. José H. Leal, Science Director and Curator of the National Shell Museum, the selected photographs are part of the Museum’s Digital Imaging Project. Funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Servi

Shell of the Week: The Dall Wentletrap Revisited

Cirsotrema dalli Rehder, 1945 can reach more than 30 mm (about 1.2 inches). It has a chalky shell surface with ribs and a background pattern of spiral cords, with about 2-3 thicker ribs per whorl. Species in this genus display an outer shell layer called intritacalx, which easily wears off in older shells. The Dall Wentletrap is more commonly found in deeper water. The species is rarely found on Sanibel and Captiva,#cirsotremadalli #dallwentletrap #epitoniidae #drytortugas #florida

Carnivore Dilemma

Most bivalve mollusks are filter-feeders, straining water to get their food, usually microscopic plants. Exceptions to this include marine clams that prey on small creatures, such as crustaceans. Some of these clams, the septibranchs, use a flexible, muscular "wall", or septum, as a diaphragm pump that allows the animal to quickly and decisively suck prey in. The inch-long Specter Clam, Dilemma spectralis Leal, 2008 (below), a deep-sea dweller found off Vanuatu in the SW Pacific, is one of them.

A Busy Dusky Cone Mom

Museum collaborator extraordinaire Amy Tripp photographed this Dusky Cone, Conasprella stearnsii, in the process of laying what will be the next generation of Dusky Cones. As most cone snails do, Dusky Cones release their eggs inside translucent egg capsules. The capsules provide a physical barrier between the eggs and embryos and the external environment, protecting them from sudden changes in water chemistry, and serving as a container for a nourishing brew known as intracapsular liquid. The D

Shell of the Week: The McGinty Cyphoma

Cyphoma mcgintyi Pilsbry, 1939 live in association with sea whips and sea fans, and can be found on the East Coast of Florida, the Caribbean, and parts of the Gulf of Mexico. The glossy, smooth nature of the shell results from the animal being able to completely envelop the shell with the soft mantle when active. The shell typically has faint tints of lilac or pink color. #mcgintycyphoma # cyphomamcginty #ovulidae #sanibel

Shell of the Week: The Scorched Mussel

Brachidontes exustus (Linnaeus, 1758) reaches about 25 mm (about one inch). The shell has a “semi-triangular” outline, with a sculpture of many very fine radial ribs that form minute denticles on the inner edge of the valves. The color is yellowish-brown to dark-brown, with the inner surface a metallic purple mottled with white. Genetic studies in the past have shown that what we consider to be the Scorched Mussel may consist of more than one species. #brachidontesexustus #scorchedmussel #mytili

Shell of the Week: The Southern Ribbed Mussel

Geukensia granosissima (G.B. Sowerby III, 1914) grows to about 75 mm (about 3 inches). The shell has a straight dorsal (“upper”) margin, with the beak at the anterior one quart. The posterior end is broad and the ventral (“lower”) margin is curved inward. Relatively strong radial (departing from the beak) ribs are characteristic of this species. The periostracum is thin, light- to dark-brown.#geukensiagranosissima #southernribbedmussel #sanibel #periostracum

Flamingo Tongue, Goth Lips!

A member of the family Ovulidae, the Flamingo Tongue, Cyphoma gibbosum (Linnaeus, 1758), is one of the most attractive shallow-water gastropods from the tropical western Atlantic Ocean. Flamingo Tongues live on gorgonians (sea fans, sea whips, and relatives), feeding on the polyps of those colonial organisms. This photo, taken underwater off Long Key, in the Florida Keys, highlights its colorful mantle, foot, and head, with the remarkable black "lips"!