The family
Haliotidae contains approximately 70 species and is widely distributed in oceans and seas surrounding Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania, and in the North Pacific (Abbott & Dance 1985).
California Abalones, Family
Haliotidae. The Resources Agency of California, Department of Fish and Game.
The suitability of several introduced species of abalone (Gastropoda:
Haliotidae) for land-based culture with pond grown seaweed in Israel.
Molist Garcia, "Ultrastructure and glycoconjugate pattern of the foot epithelium of the abalone Haliotis tuberculata (Linnaeus, 1758) (Gastropoda,
Haliotidae)," The Scientific World Journal, vol.
California abalones, family
Haliotidae. Sacramento (CA): The Resources Agency of California, Department of Fish and Game.
Chitons and gastropods (
Haliotidae through Adeorbidae) from the western Pacific islands.
So-called "pick-up" cruises by small vessels out of San Francisco going for various whale species in addition to gray whales, plus elephant seals, sea turtles (probably mainly Cheloniidae), and even abalone (family
Haliotidae) were also common in the late 1850's and early 1860's (Mulford, 1869; Henderson, 1972:94-6; 1984:171).
Wilson (2002:10): "Nos EUA, a demanda de abalones (
Haliotidae) na costa da California resultou num declinio das 4 especies de aguas rasas que sao pescadas comercialmente".
A particularly good documentation of this species-specific larval response is found among abalone (
Haliotidae).
His analysis of the shell species indicated that lateral displacement of certain larger shells (notably
Haliotidae) was probably the result of deliberate dumping of species away from the living area.
The spiral structure common in snail shells is flattened in abalone, earning them the family and genus name
Haliotidae Haliotis, which means "sea ear."
California abalones, family
Haliotidae. The Resources Agency of California Department of Fish and Game Fish Bulletin 118:1-132.