Haliotis squamosa

Haliotis squamosa, common name the squamose abalone, is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Haliotidae, the abalone.^[2]

Large Haliotis squamosa shell (with epizoa) from near Tolagnaro (Fort-Dauphin), Madagascar. Length of 95.5 mm.

Haliotis squamosa
View of a shell of Haliotis squamosa
Conservation status
Data Deficient  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Vetigastropoda
Order:	Lepetellida
Family:	Haliotidae
Genus:	Haliotis
Species:	H. squamosa
Binomial name
Haliotis squamosa Gray, 1826
Synonyms[2]
Haliotis crebrisculpta G.B. Sowerby III, 1914 Haliotis roedingi Menke, 1844

Description

The size of the shell varies between 40 mm and 90 mm. "The shell has an oblong-ovate shape, transversely obliquely wrinkled and spirally tubularly ribbed. The tubercles are scale-like. The ribs are sometimes close, sometimes with a fine ridge running between them. The seven, open perforations are rather large. The exterior is spotted and variegated with yellow and orange-brown. The interior surface is whitish and iridescent.

This is an extremely interesting species, well characterized by its close ribs of scale-like tubercles, ranging across the shell in oblique waves. In the middle portion of the shell there is a fine ridge running between the ribs. The color is also peculiar, a kind of burnt-umberstained orange."^[3]

Distribution

This species occurs in the Indian Ocean off southern Madagascar. Gray erroneously described the species to occur off Australia.