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

Dec 11, 2020

Life Imitates Art?

In the photos below, the image at left shows the distinctive hinge teeth of the Southern Quahog, Mercenaria campechiensis (Gmelin, 1791), as well as the distinct “scars” that hint at areas of contact between the living clam’s muscles and its shell. And you may be wondering about the image on the right? Well, the story goes like this: A few years ago, after taking the photo of the hinge, it looked to me like two people facing each other. But I was left with a lingering feeling

José H. Leal

Aug 28, 2020

Nature's Iron-based Shell Dye

Did you ever wonder why some shells on the beach are abnormally dark-gray, bluish, or almost black? They are not dark to begin with: The right valve of a Southern Quahog, Mercenaria campechiensis, on left, acquired its dark, bluish hues after being buried in sand or mud for some time (compare to “normal” color valve on right.) In sand or mud with levels of oxygen below normal (hypoxia) or where oxygen is completely lacking (anoxia), trace amounts of iron in the shell will com

José H. Leal

Apr 20, 2018

The Northern Quahog

The Northern Quahog, Mercenaria mercenaria (Linnaeus, 1758), measures up to 120 mm (about five inches). Its shell is trigonal to rounded, with commarginal ("concentric") ridges on the outer surface. It differs from its closest relative (and local native species), the Southern Quahog, Mercenaria campechiensis, by smaller maximum size, lack of commarginal ridges on central part of the external shell surface, and, most of all, by the violet-color tinges on the internal surface o

José H. Leal

Mar 10, 2017

The Florida Cross-barred Venus

The Florida Cross-barred Venus, Chione elevata (Say, 1822), another member of the Venus clams family Veneridae, is one of the most common shells on the beaches of Southwest Florida. It measures up to about 25 mm (one inch). The shell valves have a characteristic sculpture of well-separated concentric ridges that are intercepted throughout the valve surface by more densely packed radial ribs. (The term radial in this case indicates a direction from shell from beak to edge, lik

José H. Leal

Mar 3, 2017

The Lady-in-waiting Venus

The Lady-in-waiting Venus, Chionopsis intapurpurea (Conrad, 1849), a member of the Venus clams family Veneridae. It measures up to 38 mm (about 1.5 inches). The shell valves have a characteristic sculpture of numerous, concentric ridges that are serrated on the edge. This feature gives the species its common name, as the frilly ridges apparently resemble the trimming on gowns of personal attendants (ladies-in-waiting) to female royalty. Do not mistake shells of this species f

José H. Leal

Nov 20, 2015

The Southern Quahog, Encore

The Southern Quahog, Mercenaria campechiensis (Gmelin, 1791), is a large member of the Venus Clam family Veneridae that may grow to be more than 6 inches in size. This local species was originally covered in my column of August 22, 2014. I decided to write again about this magnificent clam after examining and taking a photo of the hinge of a very large specimen. The hinge represents the main connection between the valves, or halves, of the shell of a bivalve mollusk. It has a

José H. Leal

Aug 22, 2014

The Southern Quahog

The Southern Quahog, Mercenaria campechiensis (Gmelin, 1791), is a large member of the Venus Clam family Veneridae that may grow to be 6 inches in size. The Southern Quahog is often found in the shallow, sandy-mud flats of the local bays and protected areas, where it is one of the main food sources for large Horse Conchs and Lightning Whelks. The species is very similar to the Northern Quahog, Mercenaria mercenaria, with which it is known to hybridize in controlled aquacultur

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Events

Curator's Corner