Shells

The Lightning Whelk’s Reverse Harem

Lightning Whelks, Sinistrofulgur sinistrum, are special in several ways. Not only are their shells left-handed (shell opens to the left) but, during mating season in late fall and winter, several males may converge on a much-larger female to fertilize her eggs. During the mating event, each male will fertilize a different batch of eggs in the same female. When the young start hatching in late winter-early fall, a single string of egg capsules will yield children from the same mother, but from di

Shell of the Week: The Clawed Marginella

Dentimargo idiochila (Schwengel, 1943), reaches 6 mm (about 0.24 inch). The shell has a relatively long, pointed spire, an aperture that spans about half of the shell length, and the columella with four folds. The shell is smooth, glossy, yellowish, sometimes with two whitish bands on the last shell whorl. The species is found along the coast of east Florida and the Florida Keys. The distinctive feature on the shell of this species is the prominent tooth-like, or claw-like projection on the ante

Bubble Snail Die-offs

Last Friday, I posted an entry in the Museum’s social media (Facebook, Instagram) describing how the wrack line on the eastern end of Sanibel (Lighthouse Beach) was littered with empty, mostly juvenile shells of the Western Striate Bubble, Bulla occidentalis. I ended the post with a vague “we wonder what could happened.” The post prompted a number of comments and suggestions from our audience. We learned that the phenomenon occurred at least from Naples and Keewaydin Island in Collier County nor

Shell of the Week: A Juvenile Junonia

This 12 mm (about 0.5 inch) Scaphella junonia already has the trademark brown spots that tipify the adult shells of the species. The young shell, however, has a reticulated (net-like) surface sculpture that is absent from the adult shell. Read more about the Junonia at https://tinyurl.com/a8dv8kkc. #scaphellajunonia #junonia #juvenilejunonia #capecanaveral

Three Drills and One Cantharus

Some of the shells you’ll find on the beaches of Sanibel and Captiva are relatively similar. Take, for instances, three local species of drills and one drill-look-alike. The image shows photos of the shells and egg capsules of, in clockwise direction from bottom left, the Gulf Oyster Drill (Vokesinotus perrugatus), the Mauve-mouth Drill (Calotrophon ostrearum), the Sharp-ribbed Drill (Eupleura sulcidentata), all members of the family Muricidae, and the non-drilling Ribbed Cantharus (Hesperistern

Shell of the Week: The Rostrate Rocellaria

Spengleria rostrata (Spengler, 1783) reaches about 30 mm in length. Its shell is relatively elongate, with a triangular raised area spanning from the beak to the posterior region. That triangular area is festooned with transversal ridges. The shell color is white, with a yellowish periostracum. Rocellarias bore into empty shells and corals, and their burrows are distinguished by typical figure-eight-shaped holes.

Museum Collection in InvertEBase

This week, the Museum collection data set was integrated into InvertEBase. InvertEBase is a specimen data portal supporting a growing network of natural history collections focused on the study of invertebrate animals, with the exception of terrestrial arthropods (insects, spiders, and relatives). InvertEBase provides a mechanism for network members to manage, enhance, and share biodiversity data and associated images with scientists and the general public. Most partner institutions are based in

Pearls

After the successful Conchologists of America 2022 in Galveston, Texas (see below), National Shell Museum’s Executive Director Sam Ankerson and I had the opportunity to visit the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS). The goal was to explore the recently completed Strake Hall of Malacology and visit with Curator of Malacology Tina Petway. One of the displays that caught my eye was dedicated to pearls and the mollusks that make them, with remarkable examples of pearls made by well-known or com

COA 2022 Convention: Well Done, Texas!

National Shell Museum’s Executive Director Sam Ankerson and I recently participated in the Conchologists of America (COA) 2022 Convention in Galveston, Texas. The successful event was held at the Moody Garden Hotel and Convention Center, which also hosts a world-class Aquarium and an cool, oops, hot and humid Rainforest “biosphere”. At the gathering, I presented a talk about science and research at the Museum and, on the way home, Sam and I took the opportunity to visit the comprehensive Houston

That Dark Spot in the Eastern Oyster

If you look inside the valve (half-shell) of an Eastern Oyster, Crassostrea virginica, you'll see a large, dark spot (arrows) “engraved” on each half-shell, or valve. That spot is known as a muscle scar, and marks the place where the adductor muscle of the living animal attaches to the inside of each valve. The adductor muscles are used by bivalves such as oysters and clams to close their shells, and to keep them closed for long periods of time. The adductor muscle in oysters is divided into a “