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

Feb 16, 2018

The Varicose Cerith

The Varicose Cerith, Alaba incerta (d'Orbigny, 1841), is a small local gastropod that, at 5 mm (about 0.2 inch) in length, fits the definition of a micromollusk (a mollusk with its shell or body equal or smaller than 5 mm.) The Varicose Cerith shell is elegant and very delicate, with translucent walls and the occasional whitish thickening known as a varix. Varices are usually indicative of slower shell growth in gastropod mollusks. Varicose Ceriths are not very common on loca

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