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.

“Spongy” Rough Scallops

The Rough Scallop, Aequipecten muscosus (W. Wood, 1828), is one of three species of shallow-water scallops consistently found on the coast of Southwest Florida. Ten years ago, in February 2010, the beach at the east end of Sanibel Island was swarmed by large numbers of empty Rough Scallop shells. That in itself would be unusual, as the species is anything but common. But, in addition the large numbers present, both valves of those Rough Scallop shells were covered with sponge colonies. A little

Shell of the Week: The Inconspicuous Side-gill Slug

The sea slug Pleurobranchaea inconspicua Bergh, 1897 measures up to 60 mm (about 2.4 inches). It typically has the foot with a wide frontal part (the veil) and covered with small papillae (projections). The gills, visible in the photo, are partially covered by the mantle, and the mantle forms a small siphon in the rear part of the animal. The photo was taken by Barry McBroom at Blind Pass, Sanibel, in January 2018.#inconspicuoussidegillslug #pleurobranchaeainconspicua #sanibel #blindpass

Shell of the Week: The Dark Worm Snail

The shells of Petaloconchus nigricans (Dall, 1884) are long, narrow, brown tubes sculpted with longitudinal ridges. As with other members of the family Vermetidae, the Dark Worm Snails live in agglomerations that form massive structures. The largest such cluster from Sanibel in the National Shell Museum Collection was found in September 2016 by Michael Reardon. That cluster (photo) measures 23 cm (about 9 inches), and the largest shell aperture diameter in this cluster measures about 3 mm (about

The Atlantic Fig and Her Egg Capsules

The Atlantic Fig Snail, Ficus papyratia (Say, 1822), makes a thin shell that is shaped like a slender fig or pear. The shell opening, or aperture, tapers gently toward the end of the anterior canal. The shell color is pinkish-gray to light-tan, and is sculptured with a delicate net-like pattern. The animal is cream-colored with dark and whitish spots.The photo of the live fig snail above was taken in 2015 on Kice Island, Collier County, Florida, by Amy Tripp. The snail’s mantle covers almost com

FUM 2020: Thank You!

Thank you to all who participated in the eleventh meeting of Florida United Malacologists last Saturday, February 15, at the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum. The event was the best attended since its inception, with 73 registrants checking in. The event took place in the newly renovated auditorium on the second floor of the Museum. Fifteen presenters kept the audience on their toes via a wide range of topics, including the Museum's new Beyond Shells living exhibits, how to keep octopuses "

Sea Slug Highlight: The Ragged Sea Hare

Bursatella leachii pleii (Rang, 1828) reaches 80 mm (3.15 inches) in parts of its geographic range in the western Atlantic. The vernacular (common) name derives from the presence of characteristic branched papillae, which impart a “disheveled” aspect to the slug. The species lacks the parapodia (wing-like expansions) that are typical of the larger sea hares in the genus Aplysia. It also completely lacks a shell in the adult stage (a shell is present in the larva and juveniles).Given the proper c

Shell of the Week: The Brazilian Spurilla

Spurilla braziliana MacFarland, 1909, is a relatively large, shell-less sea slug that reaches about 80 mm (about 3 inches). The curly projections on the “back” of the slug are known as cerata; each ceratum includes an extension of the animal’s digestive gland. The Brazilian Spurilla feeds on sea-anemones, and may assimilate cnidocytes (stinging cells) the from sea-anemones it feeds into its own body to use as a defensive mechanism. Its color is variable, covering light-pink, orange, green, light

Fighting-Conch Sushi?

Northern Racoons, Procyon lotor (Linnaeus, 1758), eat mollusks and other types of shellfish. (The "other" racoon species, Procyon cancrivorus (Cuvier, 1798), found in Central and South America, is named after similar, crab-eating habits.) The young racoon in this cool photo was caught red-handed, half-way through a meal of Florida Fighting Conch, Strombus alatus (Gmelin, 1791). The image is by National Shell Museum collaborator Amy Tripp, who captured the moment at low tide on Kice Island, Flor

Pink Slugs and the Bushfire

A few years ago, I wrote a brief piece in this column about the discovery of the Mount Kaputar Pink Slug, a species in the genus Triboniophorus, family Athoracophoridae. Following the recent bushfires in southeastern Australia, the giant (20 cm, about 8 inches), shocking-pink creature is back in the news. The species is part of a small group of land mollusks that are endemic to area of Mount Kaputar National Park. Endemics are species exclusive to a restricted geographic area. The Pink Slug appa

Cool Local Snail: Cloudy Periwinkle

The Cloudy Periwinkle, Littoraria nebulosa (Lamarck, 1822), is found along the coast of Southwest Florida, living above the high tide line, mostly on dead tree trunks and branches. Periwinkles are marine gastropods that became almost completely independent of the aquatic environment. They feed on microalgae and fungi that grow on hard surfaces above the high tide line. Females return to seawater to lay egg their egg capsules, but, other than that, they spend their entire lives in the terrestria