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.

José H. Leal

Mar 2, 2018

The Grass Cerith

As implied by its vernacular name, the Grass Cerith, Bittiolum varium (Pfeiffer, 1840), lives in seagrass beds. The Grass Cerith is one of the most common species of mollusks in that particular type of ecosystem, where it supposedly grazes on the microalgae that grow on the seagrass blades. Its shell is small, rarely reaching beyond 4 mm (about 0.16 inch). The shell sculpture shows spiral lines and weak axial ribs that intersect forming raised nodules. The last whorl usually

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Events

Curator's Blog