Dr. Leal Presenting Program: "Rare and Unusual Shells From The Museum Collection"
Written by: Kathleen E. HooverPublication Date: February 19, 2010
On March 3, 2010, at 2 p.m. at The Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum, Dr. José H. Leal, director/curator for The Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum will present his program, “Rare and Unusual Shells from the Museum Collection.” The rarity of some of the Museum’s collection will be compared with other world rarities like the Mona Lisa and the Hope Diamond. Many of these rare shells have been donated to the museum’s collection or are on permanent loan. Some of the shells that will be highlighted in the presentation include: Lyncina broderipii, Barycypraea fultoni amorimi , Zoila perlae perlae, Umbilia capricornica, and Umbilia armeniaca. Dr. Leal also will discuss the Macleaniella moskalevi, the deepest-found mollusk on record. It is one of many mollusk types that are part of the Museum’s collection. A Museum program on rare shells wouldn’t be complete without one of the Museum’s great treasures, the holotype Dilemma frumarkernorum. Dr. Jose H. Leal became director/curator of The Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum in 1996. His area of specialization is systematics of marine mollusks. Dr. Leal received his B.S. in Marine Biology and M.S. in Invertebrate Zoology both from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He holds a Ph.D. in Marine Biology and Fisheries from the University of Miami. Dr. Leal was a Visiting Professor at the Museum of National d’Histoire Naturelle, in Paris, and Postdoctural Fellow at the