Curator's Blog

Museum, research, and collection updates from Dr. José H. Leal, plus Shell of the Week, which highlights a different species every Friday. Most Shells of the Week—but not all—are found in Southwest Florida.

Dr. José H. Leal serves as the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum’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. Under his leadership, the Museum was awarded its first accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums in 2010.

Shell of the Week: The Cupola Vitrinella

José H. Leal

Jun 21, 2019

Shell of the Week: The Cupola Vitrinella

The Cupola Vitrinella, Anticlimax pilsbryi (McGinty, 1945) is one of the most distinctive members of the microgastropod family Tornidae found along the coast of Southwest Florida. Larger shells of the species reach only about 3 mm (about 0.12 inch). As the common name implies, its shell is shaped like a cupola, with a strongly convex spire and relatively flat base. The shell sculpture consists of well-defined spiral lines consisting each of a microscopic zig-zag pattern. The

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Shell of the Week: The Cupola Vitrinella