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

Apr 8, 2016

The Saw-tooth Pen Shell

The Saw-tooth Pen Shell, Atrina serrata (G.B. Sowerby 1, 1825), is one of three species of Pen Shells regularly found strewn on our beaches, particularly after winter storms or following environmental disturbances. Its shell is similar to the Stiff Pen Shell, Atrina rigida, but is thinner, showing lighter color. It also differs by the finer, smaller scale-like projections regularly deployed along about 30 radial ribs. This is the most distinctive of the three local species of

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