Species of gastropod From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Haliotis virginea, Virgin pāua, is a species of edible sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Haliotidae, the abalone.[2]
| Haliotis virginea | |
|---|---|
| |
| External view of a shell of Haliotis virginea | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Vetigastropoda |
| Order: | Lepetellida |
| Family: | Haliotidae |
| Genus: | Haliotis |
| Species: | H. virginea |
| Binomial name | |
| Haliotis virginea Gmelin, 1791 | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The size of the shell varies between 30 mm and 75 mm.
DNA extracted from H. virginae shells in museums showed three main population divisions, inhabiting the Three Kings Islands; the Chatham, Auckland, and Antipodes Islands; and mainland New Zealand (as well as Campbell Island). These three clades do not correspond to the subspecies recognised above.[3]
This marine species is endemic to New Zealand.
Haliotis virginea and three other Haliotis species are known as "pāua" in New Zealand and are a restricted food source.
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
.png){kind=small}