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

Jun 15, 2018

The Lunar Dove Snail

The Lunar Dove Snail, Astyris lunata (Say, 1826), is one of the local shallow-water microgastropods associated with seaweed. Living dove snails can be found crawling on clumps of brown algae stranded on Southwest Florida beaches after storms. Its shell rarely surpasses 5 mm (about 0.2 inch), and show a pattern of alternating, sinuous brown and white markings. They are essentially devoid of any sculpture. The live animal (photo on right) was collected by Rebecca Mensch on stra

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Events

Curator's Corner