Haliotis asinina
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Haliotis asinina Temporal range: 71–0 Ma |
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| A living specimen of Haliotis asinina | |
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| Five views of a shell | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Clade: | Vetigastropoda |
| Superfamily: | Haliotoidea |
| Family: | Haliotidae |
| Genus: | Haliotis |
| Species: | H. asinina |
| Binomial name | |
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Haliotis asinina Linnaeus, 1758 |
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| Synonyms | |
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Haliotis asinum Donovan, 1808 |
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Haliotis asinum Donovan, 1808
Haliotis asinina, ass's ear abalone, is a fairly large species of sea snail, a tropical gastropod mollusk in the family Haliotidae, the abalones, also known as ormers or paua. Both the common name and the scientific name are based on the shape of the shell, which is long, narrow and curved, resembling the shape of a donkey's ear.
The maximum shell length of this species is up to 12 cm, but it more commonly grows up to about 9 cm. The shell of Haliotis asinina has a distinctly elongated contour, in clear resemblance to a donkey ear, hence the common name. Its outer surface is smooth and almost totally covered by the mantle in life, making encrustations of other animals (such as barnacles) quite uncommon in comparison to other abalones. The shell of H. asinina presents 5 to 7 ovate open holes on the left side of the body whorl. These holes collectively make up what is known as the selenizone which form as the shell grows. Its spire is somewhat conspicuous, with a mostly posterior apex. The color may variate between green olive or brown externally, with distinct roughly triangular patches. As is the case in many other abalones, the interior surface of the shell is strongly iridescent, with shades of pink and green.
This is an Indo-West Pacific species (Eastern Indian Ocean to the Central Pacific). It is common in the Andaman Islands and Nicobar Islands, Pacific islands, southern Japan and Australia (Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia).
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