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 Flame Auger

Terebra taurina is certainly the largest species of auger snail (family Terebridae) in the western Atlantic, reaching more than 180 mm (7 inches) in length. Its shell is robust, with a well-defined suture (the groove between adjacent whorls) and a color pattern of elongated brownish spots set against a cream-white background.  Auger snails are predators, injecting a cocktail of toxins into their prey using their hypodermic-needle-like radular teeth, in the same manner as their cousins, the cone snails. The species has a broad geographic distribution, living from Florida throughout the Caribbean,…

Ark Clams of Southwest Florida

Here is a sampling of the ark clams and their relatives (families Arcidae and Noetiidae) living along the coast of Southwest Florida. In the family Arcidae: (1) Turkey Wing (Arca zebra); Mossy Ark (Lamarcka imbricata); (3) Transverse Ark (Anadara transversa); (4) Cut-ribbed Ark (Anadara secticostata); (5) Red-brown Ark (Barbatia cancellaria); (6) Delicate Ark (Fugleria tenera). In the family Noetiidae: (7) Ponderous Ark (Noetia ponderosa); (8) Adams’s Miniature Ark (Arcopsis adamsi). The individual photos are not to scale and, as usual, click on…

Scallops of Southwest Florida. Photos by José H. Leal except for number 6 by James F. Kelly.

Scallops of Southwest Florida

It's scallops time! These are the scallops (family Pectinidae) that may be found on the shores of Southwest Florida: 1 – Atlantic Calico...

Shell of the Week: The Green-based Tegula

Agathistoma excavatum reaches 18 mm (approximately 0.7 inch). The typical trochiform shape is complemented by a concave (“excavated”, hence the species-name ending) base, which sometimes can show a greenish color. The species is found in the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and the Florida Keys. The shell illustrated was found on Captiva Island on a stormy day in October 2021 by Lisa Johnstone. Its presence on the local beaches had not been registered before, and this first record for Captiva should, as usual in cases like this, be considered with caution.

The 2025 Live Mollusk Count

The 2025 Live Mollusk Count took place on Sanibel Island last January 12, achieving very good results. The number of participants, methods, and count area were comparable to Live Mollusk Counts done in the recent past. The Live Mollusk Counts have been organized by the National Shell Museum & Aquarium (under the leadership of Associate Director of Education Jorden Falker) in collaboration with the Sanibel-Captiva Shell Club (under the leadership of Debi McBroom.) A West Indies Fighting Conch at West Gulf Drive beach access #1, on Sanibel. Photo: Maria Gonzalez.

Wentletraps of Southwest Florida

Wentletraps (family Epitoniidae) are everlasting favorites here in Southwest Florida. Today I present a selection of species found on the beaches of Sanibel and Captiva islands: (1) Bladed Wentletrap (Epitonium albidum); (2) Dall’s Wentletrap (Cirsotrema dalli); (3) Angulate Wentletrap (Epitonium angulatum); (4) Humphrey’s Wentletrap (Epitonium humphreysii); (5) New England Wentletrap (Epitonium novangliae); (6) Matthews’s Wentletrap (Epitonium matthewsae); (7) Leal’s Wentletrap (Epitonium leali); (8) Brown-band Wentletrap (Gyroscala rupicola); (9) Tollin’s Wentletrap (Epitonium tollini). The individual photos are not at the same scale;…

A fossil Conus shell under natural light (left) and under UV light (right). Photos by José H. Leal.

Fossil Cone Shells and UV Light

Last September 13 I discussed  how ultraviolet light (UV, aka “black light”) reveals structurally distinctive shell parts, using as an...

Mussels of Southwest Florida

This is a sampling of the local species of the family Mytilidae, which are almost always neglected in private shell collections. (1)...

Shell of the Week: The Smith’s Nutmeg

Axelella smithii   reaches 17 mm (about 0.7 inches). The shell is relatively thick and the shell sculpture includes about 8–10 raised...