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 Green Erato

The Green Erato, Hespererato maugeriae (J.E. Gray, 1832), is a species of the family Triviidae, a family also locally represented by the Coffee Bean Trivia, Niveria pediculus (Linnaeus, 1758) (this latter species was treated in this column three years ago). The Green Erato is a small species (about 0.2 inch), but one with a very attractive shell. The shell is pear-shaped, broader at the apex, tapering to a narrow, but blunt base. Outer lip thickened with tiny teeth. Color tan, yellowish, or gre

The Spiny Slipper Snail

The Spiny Slipper Snail, Bostrycapulus aculeatus (Gmelin, 1791), is the only local species of Slipper Snail (family Calyptraeidae) that displays distinctive sculptural features on its shell, in the form of scale-like spines, typically arranged along ribs that originate at the shell apex. The inch-long shell may be white, grayish, or brownish. As with other species of slipper snails, a shell septum separates the vital organs of the snail from its head and foot. The Spiny Slipper Snail, Bostrycapu

The Corrugate Jewel Box

The Corrugate Jewel Box, Chama congregata Conrad, 1833, resembles another local species of the Jewel Box family Chamidae, the Leafy Jewel Box, Chama macerophylla Gmelin, 1791. The Corrugate Jewel Box differs from this latter however, by its smaller size, never reaching more than 1.5 inch. The sculpture consists of corrugated radial ribs, while in the Leafy Jewel Box it is comprised of scale-like, “leafy” ornaments. Individuals of both species attach themselves to hard substrates by their bottom

The Spotted Slipper Snail

The Spotted Slipper Snail, Crepidula maculosa Conrad, 1846, is the most colorful species among the six local species of Slipper Snails (family Calyptraeidae). Slipper Snails are unusual in their feeding habits in that they are filter-feeding gastropods (filtering the water to retain micro-algae is the common type of feeding in bivalves, but rare among gastropods). The Spotted Slipper Snail may grow to about 1.5 inches, and has its white shell ornamented with brownish streaks and a pure white, sh

The Stout Tagelus

Last week I introduced the Purplish Tagelus, commenting that its characteristic spatula-shaped shell is similar only to that of its sister-species, the Stout Tagelus, Tagelus plebeius (Lightfoot, 1786). This latter species is a bit larger, reaching in excess of 2 inches (instead of 1.5 in the Purplish Tagelus), and lacks the purplish coloration of the other one. The Stout Tagelus, Tagelus plebeius, from Sanibel Island. Photo by José H. Leal. #StoutTagelus #Tagelusplebeius

The Purplish Tagelus

A species commonly found on the bay side of the local barrier islands, the Purplish Tagelus, Tagelus divisus (Spengler, 1794), reaches about 1.5 inches in shell length. With a spatula-shaped shell that is at least three times as long as it is wide, there is little chance for the casual collector to confuse this with any other local species. The exception is its sister species, the Stout Tagelus (which will be discussed in this column next week). The Purplish Tagelus differs from the Stout Tagelu

The Elongated Macoma

Another species in the ongoing treatment in this column of the local Tellin bivalves (family Tellinidae), the Elongated Macoma, Macoploma tenta (Say, 1834), is probably the rarest of the local medium-size species. At a little less than an inch long, The Elongated Macoma is translucent-white or faintly yellowish, with weak growth marks and the typical “squarish” posterior shell end (on the left of the valves in the photo). The Elongated Macoma, Macoploma tenta, from Captiva Island. Photo by José

The Constricted Macoma

Again, we proceed with the synopsis of local Tellins (Family Tellinidae), today with a discussion of the Constricted Macoma, Austromacoma constricta (Bruguière, 1792). The 1.5–2 inch-long bivalve is one of the local species of bivalves that thrives in the muddy bottoms of the back-bay areas of Southwest Florida. As such, its shells will be rarely found on the Gulf beaches. The posterior end is pointed, and the shell sculpture consists of very faint growth lines. The Constricted Macoma is whitish

The Rose Petal Tellin

We continue the overview of local Tellins with a brief presentation of the Rose Petal Tellin, Eurytellina lineata (Turton, 1819). The 1–1.5 inch-long bivalve is, together with its “sister”, the Alternate Tellin, one of the most common local species of the family Tellinidae. Thanks to the bright pink color of one of its varietals, it is one of the species preferred by local shell crafters. The Rose Petal Tellin can also be white, sometimes with a little wisp of pink color near the apex (the bival

The Alternate Tellin

With about 12 local species, the Tellinidae is one of the most diverse families of shallow-water marine bivalves in SW Florida. Last week we discussed the Candystick Tellin, Scissula similis (J. Sowerby, 1806). This week the featured species is one of its cousins, the locally common Alternate Tellin, Eurytellina alternata (Say, 1822). This species may reach between two and three inches in length, and displays the compressed shape typical of the family. The external shell sculpture consists of fi