Green Abalone Shell, Haliotis fulgens
Green Abalone, Haliotis fulgens. Underwater photograph taken in the greater San Diego area, San Diego, California, October 2015. Photograph and identification courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.
Green Abalone Shell, Haliotis fulgens. Shell collected off the beach in the greater San Diego area, San Diego, California, June 2008. Size: 17.8 cm (7.0 inches) x 13.1 cm (5.2 inches). Collection, photographs and identification courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.
Green Abalone Shell, Haliotis fulgens. Shell collected off the beach in the greater San Diego area, San Diego, California, June 2008. Size: 17.8 cm (7.0 inches) x 13.1 cm (5.2 inches). Collection, photographs and identification courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.
Green Abalone Shell , Haliotis fulgens. Collected from coastal waters of Bahía Santa Rosalillita, Baja California, August 2019. Collection, photograph and identification courtesy of Barry Mastro, Escondido, California.
Phylogeny: The Green Abalone, Haliotis fulgens (Philippi, 1845), is a gastropod mollusk that is a member of the Haliotidae Family of Abalone Shells. The genus Haliotis is the only genus in this family, and there are sixty-nine species in this genus. They are also known as the Blue Abalone. In Mexico they are called Abulón Azul. There are three accepted subspecies of Green Abalone: Haliotis fulgens fulgens, Haliotis fulgens guadalupensis, and Haliotis fulgens turveri.
Description: The Green Abalone shell has a slightly lower profile than most abalones in the region. The exterior of the shell is sculpted with numerous, low, spiral ribs and five or six slightly raised open holes. Many shells have a notch at the margin and are often heavily overgrown or eroded. The exterior is reddish-brown in color; the interior is highly iridescent blue green, with pink tones. Some specimens show brown blotches. Living shells have a brownish, fringed, mantle with white trim and light gray tentacles. Green Abalone reach a maximum of 25 cm (9.8 inches) in length and 16.6 cm (6.5 inches) in height.
Habitat and Distribution: Green Abalone are found attached to, and under, rocks, and in crevasses in the low intertidal zone and to depths of 18 m (60 feet). They are a temperate to subtropical Eastern Pacific species that have a limited range in Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean being found from the California border south to Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur. They are absent from the Gulf of California.
Ecology and Behavior: Green Abalone are nocturnal herbivorous grazers that feed primarily on red and brown algae. They’ll eat attached or drift algae. Their predators include, fish, marine mammals, octopuses and sea stars. They are gonochoric and reproduce sexually, through broadcast spawning, with external fertilization. They are sexually mature at 2-4 years, and can live for 30 years or more. They are known to host multiple species of epibionts, including: scaly worm snails, boring sponges, algae, date mussels, and bryozoans. They also host endoparasitic nematodes and haplosporidians, which can cause a disease called “abalone wasting disease. There is no mention in the available literature of them engaging in any types of commensal or symbiotic relationships. Green abalone were used by indigenous cultures as a food source, and the shells used as tools and jewelry. They have historically been the target of commercial and recreational fisheries. Severe overfishing and the abalone wasting disease have caused Green Abalone populations to plummet and recovery efforts have been slow and unpredictable. From a conservation perspective Green Abalone are considered to be Critically Endangered.
Synonyms: Haliotis planilirata and Haliotis splendens.