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

Jul 24, 2015

The Little Dove Strawberry Cockle

The Little Dove Strawberry Cockle, Americardia columbella H.G. Lee & M. Huber, 2012, is a moderately rare species of the family Cardiidae found in the Gulf of Mexico and along the coasts of Southwest Florida. Its shell has a more triangular shape in relation to other local cockles, and the “pinched” aspect (caused by the presence of a posterior groove, or sulcus) sets it apart from its closest relatives in the genus Americardia. Dr. Harry G. Lee, from Jacksonville, Florida, a

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Curator's Corner