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

Sep 23, 2022

Bubble Snail Die-offs

Last Friday, I posted an entry in the Museum’s social media (Facebook, Instagram) describing how the wrack line on the eastern end of Sanibel (Lighthouse Beach) was littered with empty, mostly juvenile shells of the Western Striate Bubble, Bulla occidentalis. I ended the post with a vague “we wonder what could happened.” The post prompted a number of comments and suggestions from our audience. We learned that the phenomenon occurred at least from Naples and Keewaydin Island i

Shell of the Week: The Southern Spindle Bubble

José H. Leal

Mar 12, 2021

Shell of the Week: The Southern Spindle Bubble

Another species in the “bubble” category, Volvulella persimilis(Mørch, 1875) is locally rare, and a very small species, reaching only 4 mm (about 0.16 inch) in length. This snail has an involute shell, i.e., the entire shell spire is encased by the last whorl, which gives the shell its spindle-shaped appearance. The apex is pointed, and the shell surface is glossy, sculptured with a few very fine spiral lines. #volvulellapersimilis #southernspindlebubble #rhizoridae #bubblesn

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