Other Definitions
haliotis (dict)
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Haliotis
Many, see text Haliotis is a genus of abalone, the sole genus in the family Haliotidae. Some are very common and regarded as a delicacy; but most are uncommon to very rare (such as Haliotis pourtalesii) or difficult to obtain. They have one-piece shells and at first sight, they appear to be a single half of a bivalve. They have a long history, dating from the Upper Cretaceous. Distribution This family has a worldwide distribution, along the coastal waters of every continent, except South America and the eastern coast of the USA. Most abalones are found off the coasts of Australia, Western North America and Japan. Description This family has unmistakable characteristics : the shell is rounded to oval, with 2 to 3 whorls, and the last one auriform ( = grown into a large ear.), giving rise to the common name ear-shell. The body whorl has a series of holes (four to ten depending on the species), near the anterior margin. There is no operculum. The back is convex, ranging from highly arched to very flattened. The inside of the shell consists of iridiscent, silvery white to greenred mother-of-pearl. These shells cling solidly with their muscular foot to rocky surfaces at sublittoral depths. Color The color is very variable from species to species. Reproduction Abalones reach maturity at a small size. Their fertility is high and increases with size (from 10,000 to 11 million eggs at a time) Diet The larvae feed on plankton. The adults are herbivores and feed on macroalgae, preferring red algae. Size Sizes vary from 20 mm (Haliotis pulcherrima) to 200 mm (or even more) (Haliotis rufescens) Taxonomy The abalones belong to the large class of gastropods (Gastropoda) There is only one genus Haliotis in the abalone family (Haliotidae), and about four to seven subgenera. The taxonomy is somewhat confused. The number of species range from about 100 to about 130 species (due to the occurrence of hybrids). The newest insights in the taxonomy of the Gastropoda give rise to a different taxonomy for the abalone family (Haliotidae) as follows : - Class Gastropoda
- Subclass Orthogastropoda (Ponder & Lindberg 1996)
- Superorder Vetigastropoda (Salvini-Plwen, 1980)
- Superfamily Haliotoidea
- Family Haliotidae
List of species with common name : Other species : Haliotis clathrata, Haliotis barbouri, Haliotis crebrisculpta, Haliotis dissona, Haliotis exigua, Haliotis fatui, Haliotis kamtschatkana assimilis, Haliotis kamtschatkana kamtschatkana, Haliotis madaka, Haliotis mariae, Haliotis patamakanthini, Haliotis pustulata, Haliotis roberti, Haliotis rubiginosa, Haliotis rubra, Haliotis rugosa, Haliotis thailandis, Haliotis unilateralis. Literature Conchological Iconography vol. 4 Haliotidae, Daniel L. Geiger, Conchbooks, ISBN 3-925919-31-7 External links
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