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.

The Magnificent Milk Conch

Two of the best-known species of true conchs (family Strombidae) in the western Atlantic, Milk Conchs (Macrostrombus costatus) and Queen Conchs (Aliger gigas) are quite distinctive as mature snails. When reaching maturity, both species start thickening and flaring the shells’ outer lip. However, without the flared lips typical of each species. young Milk Conchs can be easily confused with young Queen Conchs. Nonetheless, if you observe the living animals, you’ll see that they differ, among other

Shell of the Week: The Carmine Marginella

Eratoidea hematita (Kiener, 1834) has a striking glossy, carmine-red, or pink color that is very bright in the living animal. After the snail dies, the remarkably strong color hues slowly fade away. The outer lip in this species bears about 15 denticles, and the columella (on the other side) has about four strong folds. The species is found in South Florida, the Florida Keys, and the Caribbean. (A large reproduction of this illustration is displayed in the In Focus exhibition at the National She

Meet the Giant Triton

The Giant Triton, Monoplex parthenopeus (Salis Marschlins, 1793), is a relatively common western Atlantic species that is present also in parts of the Indian and Pacific oceans. The long-lasting pelagic (open-water) larvae in this species allows for crossing of wide ocean expanses at the larval stage. This is one of the reasons for the broad geographical distribution of this species. National Shell Museum collaborator Anne DuPont photographed this Giant Triton off Pompano Beach, in Florida. Her

Shell of the Week: The Orange Marginella

Prunum carneum (Storer, 1837) reaches 18 mm (about 0.7 inches), and has a glossy, bright-orange shell surface, with two white bands. The pigments in the living snail are very vivid, but tend to fade quickly after the animal dies. The Orange Marginella is found in shallow water off South Florida, the Florida Keys, and the Caribbean. (A large reproduction of this illustration will be in the In Focus exhibition, opening on May 29.) #prunumcarneum #orangemarginella #marginellidae #stockisland #infoc

And a Pea Crab in a Pen!

In a pen shell, that is! Museum friend and collaborator Amy Tripp from Marco Island took this great photo of a pinnotherid crab (arrow) inside a pen shell (probably a Stiff Pen Shell, Atrina rigida). Pinnotherids are tiny, soft-bodied crabs that live inside the mantle and gills of some bivalve mollusks (and the occasional large gastropod such as a true conch (family Strombidae) or abalone (Haliotis species). Pinnotherid crabs are commensals, i.e., they take advantage of their hosts' meals or lef

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.