Haliotis tuberculata tuberculata
The atlantic variants, from north to south |
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A shell in natural condition.
Collected at extreme low tide, in crevice on offshore reef near Saint-Malo, northern Brittany. 103mm. |
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| A northern specimen from Guernsey, Channel islands. 116mm. |
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« H. testa subovata, rugis transversis tuberculatis. Habitat in O. Europaeo. » (Linnaeus, Systema Naturae, Vermes / Testacea / Haliotis / p.780). The species is much larger, with a rougher shell, in the northern part of its range than in Mediterranean, and is commercially fished. Same spot. 114mm. |
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| Subtidal, Anse Saint-Père, Saint-Servan sur Mer, N. Brittany, NW. France. – Original picture provided by P. Corbrion for iNaturalist – (CC BY-NC-SA). |
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Gerontic specimens (115-117mm).
By dive at 15m, bay of Saint-Brieuc, northern Brittany. |
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| Specimens from deeper water, Saint-Brieuc area. 93-117mm. |
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| Set of 3 specimens fished by dive near Saint Brieuc. Average specimens of good size, in natural conditions. Displayed with the authentification-markings. 98-104mm. |
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| Strong sculpture in a specimen from Portsall, Finistère, W. Brittany. 95mm. |
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| Punta de Rostro, Fisterra, A Coruña, Galicia, NW. Spain. The shell is smaller and, compared to specimens of similar sizes found in Brittany, is noticeably thinner. 79mm. |
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20-25m deep, Ines bay, Setúbal, Portugal. 55mm.
Abalones become smaller and thinner. |
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Two specimens from Algarve, S. Portugal:
Top: 15-18m deep, Albufeira. 36mm.
Bottom: 3-5m deep, Dona Ana beach, Lagos. 34,5-35mm. |
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| 15-18m deep, Albufeira. 42,5mm. |
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More mediterranean by the shape, size and weight:
1-2m deep, under rocks, Cape Trafalgar, western Cádiz, W. Andalucia, SW. Spain. 50-54mm. |
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Mediterranean.
2m deep, under stones, Mijas, Málaga, Andalucia. 36-42mm. |
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Atlantic again, by the shape, size and weight:
1-2m deep, El Jadida area, NW. Morocco. 83mm. |
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| 1m deep, Agadir, Souss-Massa-Drâa, S. Morocco. 70mm. |
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| 1m deep, under rocks at low tide, Tarfaya, Tan Tan province, Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra, at the frontier with the Western Sahara. 43,5-56mm. |
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| Purple shells from the same spot. 36-41mm. |
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| Extreme low tide, Les Almadies, Dakar, Sénégal. 36,5mm. |
| The variant “speciosa” Reeve, from west Africa |
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« Shell oblong-ovate, flatly convex, depressed in the middle, spirally elevately striated, striae close-set; six perforations open; scarlet-red, beautifully variegated with black-edged white. » – L. A. Reeve: “Monograph of the genus Haliotis”, Conchologia Iconica, London 1846, plate XIV. |
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1m deep, Casablanca area, NW. Morocco. 47-48mm.
Notice the red line that runs along the whole row of holes. |
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| Characteristics of this variant: no marked radials, the red line that connects the holes seems to be a constant, and the ventral margin is more convex than flat. At low tide under stone, Sidi Ahmed, Doukhala-Abda, W. Morocco. 44-48mm. |
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| Les Almadies, Dakar. 51-56-75mm. |
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| Same spot. 31-43-64mm. |