Colored abalone

Description

Haliotis diversicolor, common name the variously coloured abalone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Haliotidae, the abalones. The size of the shell varies between 25 mm and 85 mm. "The shell is long and oval. The spire is very near the margin. The surface of the shell is spirally lirate; the lines are unequal, rounded and crossed by low folds indicating former positions of the peristome. Its color pattern is reddish-brown, scarlet and green in irregular patches and streaks. The coloration is very variable. The oval perforations number usually 7 to 9. There is no angle at the row of perforations, and the space between perforations and the columellar margin has unequal spiral cords, not coarser than those of the rest of the disk. The inner surface is silvery with light green and red reflections. The two sides are equally curved, and the back is quite convex. The columellar plate is rather narrow, flattened, sloping inward, not in the least truncate at the base. It is so wide above as to wholly conceal the cavity of the spire. This species is variable and rather bright in coloration, distinguished by its long oval form, numerous perforations and spiral liration." This species occurs in temperate northwestern Pacific Ocean off Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam Bạch Long Vĩ, Cô Tô, Hạ Long Bay; off Australia (Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia), and in Indonesian waters (Bali) and off New Caledonia. The shell from these last two sites differ somewhat from the holotype by being a bit more elongate and having a dark sepia color. Haliotis, common name abalone, is the only genus in the family Haliotidae. This genus once contained six subgenera. These subgenera have become alternate representations of Haliotis. The genus consists of small to very large, edible, herbivorous sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs. The number of species recognized worldwide ranges between 30 and 130, with over 230 species-level taxa described. The most comprehensive treatment of the family considers 56 species valid, with 18 additional subspecies. Other common names are ear shells, sea ears, and, rarely, muttonfish or muttonshells in parts of Australia, ormer in the UK, perlemoen in South Africa, and the Maori name for three species in New Zealand is pāua. The shells of abalones have a low, open, spiral structure, and are characterized by having several open respiratory pores in a row near the shell's outer edge.