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

Aug 25, 2017

The Green Erato

The Green Erato, Hespererato maugeriae (J.E. Gray, 1832), is a species of the family Triviidae, a family also locally represented by the Coffee Bean Trivia, Niveria pediculus (Linnaeus, 1758) (this latter species was treated in this column three years ago). The Green Erato is a small species (about 0.2 inch), but one with a very attractive shell. The shell is pear-shaped, broader at the apex, tapering to a narrow, but blunt base. Outer lip thickened with tiny teeth. Color ta

José H. Leal

Sep 12, 2014

The Coffee Bean Trivia

The Coffee Bean Trivia, Niveria pediculus (Linnaeus, 1758), is another marine gastropod that can be found occasionally on the island beaches of Southwest Florida. Members of the trivia family, the Triviidae, closely resemble the beloved Cowries (family Cypraeidae), but differ in features of their anatomy and usually by having smaller shells with “wrinkled” sculpture (Cowries are usually very smooth and glossy.) Measuring at most about a half inch in length, Trivias generally

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Curator's Blog

The Green Erato

The Coffee Bean Trivia