Haliotis virginea

Haliotis virginea
External view of a shell of Haliotis virginea
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Clade:	Vetigastropoda
Superfamily:	Haliotoidea
Family:	Haliotidae
Genus:	Haliotis
Species:	H. virginea
Binomial name
Haliotis virginea Gmelin, 1791
Synonyms
Haliotis marmorata Linnaeus, 1758 Haliotis (Haliotis) gibba Philippi, R.A., 1846 Haliotis (Haliotis) marmorata Reeve, L.A., 1846 (junior homonym) Haliotis (Haliotis) subvirginea Weinkauff, H.C., 1883 Haliotis virginea virginea Gmelin, 1791 · accepted, alternate representation Haliotis (Paua) virginea Gmelin, 1791

Haliotis virginea, Virgin Paua, is a species of edible sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Haliotidae, the abalones.

The size of the shell varies between 30 mm and 75 mm.

This marine species is endemic to New Zealand.

Haliotis virginea and other two Haliotis species are known as "pāua" in New Zealand and are a restricted food source.

...
Wikipedia