Curator's Corner

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.

José H. Leal

Oct 7, 2016

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

José H. Leal

Sep 16, 2016

The Cut-ribbed Ark

Capable of growing beyond 4 inches, the Cut-ribbed Ark, Anadara secticostata (Reeve, 1844), is the largest among the seven species of shallow-water Ark Clams (families Arcidae and Noetiidae) found on Sanibel and Captiva. The large, yet elegant, shell of the Cut-ribbed Ark has the sculpture of curved radial ribs that is typical of other members of the family. Among other features, a faint groove that splits each rib longitudinally (hence the “cut-ribbed” qualifier in the commo

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Curator's Corner