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 Atlantic Fat Tellin

The Atlantic Fat Tellin, Leporimetis intastriata (Say, 1827), belongs to the Tellinidae, a family of bivalves that includes many species worldwide, and with at least 15 species locally. Fat Tellins are relatively large, reaching about 3 inches in length. They share the “curved” profile characteristic of members of the family, with the left valve slightly concave and the right one convex (This is shown in the bottom image, where the left valve is below the right one). In addition, the right valve

The Atlantic Kitten Paw

The Atlantic Kitten Paw, Plicatula gibbosa Lamarck, 1801, is a bivalve commonly found on the beaches of Southwest Florida (and along the entire coast of the Sunshine State). Its vernacular name derives from the shell shape and, most likely, from its color pattern. It is not unusual for shellers to find complete shells (paired valves) of this inch-long species. Sometimes it is very difficult to separate the valves of a complete shell, not only because they are naturally very well adjusted to each

The Atlantic Wing Oyster

The Atlantic Wing Oyster, Pteria colymbus (Röding, 1798), gets its common name from the expansions on its shell, which are technically known as auricles. Atlantic Wing Oysters are commonly found living in association with Sea Whips and other gorgonians, to which they attach using a bundle of fibers called the byssus. Its shell may grow to about 2–2.5 inches. Shells are brownish, with rays of lighter color. The shell on young individuals shows auricles that are relatively larger than those of adu

The Miraculous Pedipes

A treat to those looking for microshells, the Miraculous Pedipes, Pedipes mirabilis (Megerle von Mühlfeld, 1816), is another close relative of the local Coffee Melampus (and of other local representatives of the family Ellobiidae recently covered in this column). The Miraculous Pedipes is a small species, never reaching beyond 5 mm in size (about 1/5 inch). Examination under a magnifying glass reveals a globose, light-brown or ochre-colored shell, with a delicate sculpture of spiral lines. The a

The White Melampus

The White Melampus, Ellobium dominicense (Férussac, 1821), is another close relatively of the local Coffee and Bubble Melampus (covered in the most recent “Shell of the Week” column). All Melampus belong to the family Ellobiidae, but the 3/4 –inch White Melampus is the only local species that has a light-colored shell. The White Melampus shell is light, thinner-walled, with faint growth lines. The species inhabits nearby estuarine areas, but its shells may sometimes be found on the Gulf beaches.

The Bubble Melampus

The Bubble Melampus, Melampus bullaoides (Montagu, 1808), is a close relative of the more commonly found, local Coffee Melampus (covered in last week’s column). Similarly to the Coffee Melampus, the half-inch long Bubble Melampus lives in mangrove areas, where it thrives well above the tide lines. The shell shape of the Bubble Melampus is strikingly different, however; this species has a relatively longer and pointed spire (section of the shell where the whorls, or coils, are concentrated) and s

The Coffee Melampus

The Coffee Melampus, Melampus coffea (Linnaeus, 1758), is a snail that can be found living in the mangrove forests of SW Florida, usually above the high tide line. Their shell is relatively thick, and the aperture has small serrations internally. In addition to the Coffee Melampus, the family Elobiidae includes a few other, similar species in our local area. Melampus and their kin are land snails (pulmonates), breathing air through a specialized tissue called a lung, that has no relation to the

The Garden Zachrysia

The Garden Zachrysia, Zachrysia provisoria (L. Pffeifer, 1858), is a species of land snail commonly found on Sanibel, Captiva, and many other parts of Florida. The species is originally native to Cuba, and is an invasive to Florida, the Bahamas, and several Caribbean islands. Its shell is globose, measuring a tad more than an inch (reaching 30 mm), and is white and translucent, under a brownish “skin-like” periostracum. The aperture lip is white as the rest of the shell, but not covered by the p

The Lined Tree Snail

Continuing with the discussion of some of the islands’ land snails (pulmonate gastropods), I want to introduce the quaint Lined Tree Snail, Drymaeus multilineatus (Say, 1825). The genus Drymaeus includes medium-sized to small tree snails that feed on the layers of algae, moss, and lichenes growing on the bark of trees and small bushes. The inch-long lined tree snail differs from its close relatives by the very distinctive spiral band of dark brown color along the shell suture (the line of juncti

The Florida Flatcoil

For the first time since I started writing this column in December 2013, I will introduce a local land snail as our “Shell of the Week”. Sanibel and Captiva islands are homes to rich assemblages of pulmonate (air-breathing) gastropods (snails). One of the most ubiquitous is the Florida Flatcoil, Polygyra septemvolva Say, 1818, as species that may reach about ½-inch, but that locally may be found in the 3/8-inch diameter range. As the vernacular name implies, the Florida Flatcoil has a flat, disc