''Haliotis clathrata'', common name the lovely abalone, is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

sea snail Sea snails are slow-moving marine (ocean), marine gastropod Mollusca, molluscs, usually with visible external shells, such as whelk or abalone. They share the Taxonomic classification, taxonomic class Gastropoda with slugs, which are distinguishe ...

, a marine

gastropod Gastropods (), commonly known as slugs and snails, belong to a large Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, freshwater, and fro ...

mollusc Mollusca is a phylum of protostome, protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant taxon, extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum ...

in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Haliotidae ''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, ...

, the

abalone Abalone ( or ; via Spanish , from Rumsen language, Rumsen ''aulón'') is a common name for any small to very large marine life, marine gastropod mollusc in the family (biology), family Haliotidae, which once contained six genera but now cont ...

Description

The size of the shell varies between 10 mm and 60 mm. The large, solid but not thick shell has a rounded-oval shape and is much depressed. The distance of the apex measures from the margin one-fifth the length of the shell. The shell is sculptured with fine spiral cords cut by close minute striae of increment and has radiating waves or folds above. A slight angle at the row of perforations, below it is broadly excavated and then carinated. The about six perforations are elevated and circular. The outline is suborbicular and much depressed. The color pattern of the surface is either dark red with few radiating angular white patches, or dull red and green, streaked and mottled. The spiral cords of the outer surface are either nearly equal or have slightly larger ones at wide intervals. They are decussated by close growth-striae. The whorls number a trifle over three. The inner surface is corrugated like the outer surface, silvery, very brilliantly iridescent. The reflections are chiefly sea-green and red. The columellar plate is broad, flat, and obliquely truncated at its base. The cavity of the spire is wide, open, but shallow. This is a variable form, in color varying from dark coral red to dull red streaked with pale green. This species also occurs in a different form: ''Haliotis clathrata'' f. ''tomricei'' (Patamakanthin, 2002). The shape of the shell forms a

logarithmic spiral A logarithmic spiral, equiangular spiral, or growth spiral is a self-similarity, self-similar spiral curve that often appears in nature. The first to describe a logarithmic spiral was Albrecht Dürer (1525) who called it an "eternal line" ("ewi ...

with an expansion coefficient of 0.25, which is close to the 0.31 coefficient of a

golden spiral In geometry, a golden spiral is a logarithmic spiral whose growth factor is , the golden ratio. That is, a golden spiral gets wider (or further from its origin) by a factor of for every quarter Turn (angle), turn it makes. Approximations of th ...

, although shells exist with a wide range of coefficients and this proximity is of no particular significance.

Distribution

This marine species occurs in the western

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

, on the coasts of including Australia and the islands and mainland of

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

, as well as islands in the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

such as

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

and

Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...

and stretches of the

East Africa East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...

n coast.

References

* Reeve, L.A. 1846. ''Descriptions of forty species of ''Haliotis'', from the collection of H. Cumming, Esq.'' Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 14: 53–59 * Adams, A. & Reeve, L. 1850. Mollusca. pp. 45–87 in Adams, A. (ed.). ''The Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Samarang; under the command of Captain Sir Edward Belcher, C.B.F.R.A.S., F.G.S. during the years 1843-1846''. London : Reeve, Benham & Reeve Vol. 3. * Ladd, H.S. in Ladd, H.S. & Hoffmeister, J.E. 1945. ''The Geology of Lau, Fiji.'' Bulletin of the Bernice P. Bishop Museum 181: 331–370 * Geiger, D.L. 2000

999 999 or triple nine most often refers to: * 999 (emergency telephone number), a telephone number for the emergency services in several countries * 999 (number), an integer * AD 999, a year * 999 BC, a year Media Books * 999 (anthology), ''99 ...

''Distribution and biogeography of the recent Haliotidae (Gastropoda: Vetigastropoda) world-wide.'' Bollettino Malacologico 35(5–12): 57-120 * Geiger D.L. & Poppe G.T. (2000). ''A Conchological Iconography: The family Haliotidae''. Conchbooks, Hackenheim Germany. 135pp 83pls.

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q7989581 clathrata Molluscs of the Indian Ocean Molluscs of the Pacific Ocean Gastropods described in 1846 Taxa named by Lovell Augustus Reeve