abalone

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Abalone (Haliotis)
Jacques Six

Any of several marine snail species (genus Haliotis, family Haliotidae), found in warm seas worldwide.

The outer surface of the single shell has a row of small holes, most of which fill in as the animal grows; some remain open as outlets for waste products. Abalones range from 4 to 10 in. (10–25 cm) across and up to 3 in. (8 cm) deep. The largest is the 12 in. (30 cm) abalone (H. rufescens). The shell's lustrous, iridescent interior is used in ornaments, and the large muscular foot is eaten as a delicacy. Commercial abalone fisheries exist in California, Mexico, Japan, and South Africa.

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shellfish - Any aquatic mollusk, crustacean, or echinoderm that has a shell.

gastropod - Any member of the class Gastropoda, the largest group of mollusks, including about 65,000 species.

More on "abalone" from the 32 Volume Encyclopædia Britannica:

abalone - any of several marine snails of the subclass Prosobranchia (class Gastropoda) constituting the genus Haliotis and family Haliotidae, in which the shell has a row of holes on its outer surface. Abalones are one-shelled snails found in warm seas worldwide. The dishlike shell is perforated near one edge by a single row of small holes that become progressively filled during the animal's growth; the ...

ear shell - any of various marine snails of the subclass Prosobranchia (class Gastropoda) that constitute the genus Haliotis and family Haliotidae. The characteristic planispiral shell has a broad, oblique aperture, which gives it an earlike shape. A series of perforations through the shell follow the spiral form. The inside of the shell is always nacreous, often in iridescent greens and blues. The snails ...

shellfish - any aquatic invertebrate animal having a shell and belonging to the phylum Mollusca, the class Crustacea (phylum Arthropoda), or the phylum Echinodermata. The term is often used for the edible species of the groups, especially those that are fished or raised commercially.

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