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.

Shell of the Week: The Giant Date Mussel

José H. Leal

May 20, 2022

Shell of the Week: The Giant Date Mussel

Lithophaga antillarum(d’Orbigny, 1853) reaches 120 mm (about 4.7 inches). The shell is cylindrical, rounded anteriorly, inflated, with brownish, lustrous periostracum (outer shell layer). Giant Date Mussels bore into dead coral or limestone rock. Lithophaga antillarum has a broad distribution in the Gulf of Mexico and the tropical western Atlantic, from the Florida Keys to Brazil, but is not found locally in SW Florida. Given its life habits, this is a difficult species to ob

José H. Leal

May 7, 2021

Shell of the Week: The Scorched Mussel

Brachidontes exustus (Linnaeus, 1758) reaches about 25 mm (about one inch). The shell has a “semi-triangular” outline, with a sculpture of many very fine radial ribs that form minute denticles on the inner edge of the valves. The color is yellowish-brown to dark-brown, with the inner surface a metallic purple mottled with white. Genetic studies in the past have shown that what we consider to be the Scorched Mussel may consist of more than one species. #brachidontesexustus #sc

José H. Leal

Apr 23, 2021

Shell of the Week: The Green Mussel

Perna viridis (Linnaeus, 1758) has been accidentally introduced from New Zealand to the East Coast of the USA, part of the Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico. This species grows to about 90 mm (about 3.5 inches). The ventral (“lower”) margin of the shell is straight or slightly concave, the posterior end rounded. The periostracum may be very flaky in dried shells. The shell is brown externally with green tinges at and around margins. The shell interior is nacreous, whitish

Shell of the Week: The American Horse Mussel

José H. Leal

Apr 16, 2021

Shell of the Week: The American Horse Mussel

Modiolus americanus (Leach, 1815) grows to about 100 mm (about 4 inches!) in parts of the its distribution range. The brown periostracum is heavy and flaky. This species resembles last week’s Shell of the Week, the Southern Mussel. They differ, however, by the usually larger size, much more “obese” shell, and presence of orange and pink hues internally and externally in the shell of the American Horse Mussel. The Southern Horse Mussel has a “skinnier” shell and generally blui

Shell of the Week: The Southern Horse Mussel

José H. Leal

Apr 9, 2021

Shell of the Week: The Southern Horse Mussel

Modiolus squamosus Beauperthuy, 1967 is the less uncommon among the local mussel species. Scattered valves and even complete pairs may be found on local Southwest Florida beaches after storms, particularly during the winter. The species may grow to 65 mm (about 2.6 inches), and the external shell surface is covered with a relatively thin, light-brown periostracum, which contrasts with the distinctive purplish color of the internal surfaces. Southern Horse Mussels can be disti

José H. Leal

Apr 2, 2021

Shell of the Week: The Lateral Mussel

Musculus lateralis (Say, 1822) is another local but uncommon mussel, probably neglected because of its small size. Reaching only 9 mm (about 0.35 inch), its shell is oval, inflated. Two radial, slanted lines divide each valve in three areas: a smooth central one, and anterior and posterior areas with strong radial ribs. The internal shell surface is faintly iridescent, with a very thin nacreous layer. That allows for the external colors to show by transparency. #musculuslater

José H. Leal

Mar 26, 2021

Shell of the Week: The Hooked Mussel

Ischadium recurvum (Rafinesque, 1820) is a local but uncommon mussel that inhabits protected bay areas and the calm waters of local estuaries. Reaching 50 mm (about two inches), its shell is moderately inflated, curved, resembling a claw, or a hook. The surface sculpture consists of radial lines extending from the beak outward. The outside color is dark-grayish to dark-brown, with interspaces between radial lines of darker color. The inside surface is iridescent, nacreous, wi

José H. Leal

Mar 19, 2021

Shell of the Week: The Chestnut Mussel

Mussels are not only good seafood, but they also come in a large number of different species. The Chestnut Mussel, Lioberus castanea (Say, 1822) is a relatively small species that rarely reaches beyond 25 mm (one inch). Its shell is elongate, inflated, with the brown outer layer, the periostracum, that is so characteristic of the mussel family Mytilidae. There is a distinct, sharp line separating the posterior end (lighter color) from the anterior end (darker color). The inne

José H. Leal

Nov 6, 2015

The Atlantic Paper Mussel

A member of the Mussel family Mytilidae, the Atlantic Paper Mussel, Arcuatula papyria (Conrad, 1846), is an elusive local species that happens more abundant in nature than its relative obscurity and scarcity in local collections would lead us to believe. One of the reasons for its status as a poorly known species is that it lives burrowing in the muddy bottoms of local bays and protected back waters, in areas that are difficult to reach and almost impossible to walk on due to

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