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

Nov 18, 2016

The Miraculous Pedipes

A treat to those looking for microshells, the Miraculous Pedipes, Pedipes mirabilis (Megerle von Mühlfeld, 1816), is another close relative of the local Coffee Melampus (and of other local representatives of the family Ellobiidae recently covered in this column). The Miraculous Pedipes is a small species, never reaching beyond 5 mm in size (about 1/5 inch). Examination under a magnifying glass reveals a globose, light-brown or ochre-colored shell, with a delicate sculpture of

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The Miraculous Pedipes