Biodiversity & Conservation

Green ormer - Haliotis tuberculata

Haliotis tuberculata

Image National Museum Wales - Outer view of Haliotis tuberculata. Image width ca 9 cm.
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Distribution map

Haliotis tuberculata recorded (dark blue bullet) and expected (light blue bullet) distribution in Britain and Ireland (see below)

Why do the maps differ?

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Haliotis tuberculata is not listed under any importance categories.

Taxonomy icon Taxonomy Taxon English term
Phylum Mollusca Snails, slugs, mussels, cockles, clams & squid
Class Gastropoda Snails, slugs & sea butterflies
Authority Linnaeus,1758
Recent synonyms None
Map icon Recorded Distribution in Britain and Ireland Found in the Channel Isles but absent from the coasts of Britain and Ireland.
Habitat information icon Habitat information Found on rocky shores, from MLW to depths of about 40 m, commonly feeding on rocks covered with encrusting red algae.
Text page icon Description Haliotis tuberculata has a flattened, oval, 'ear-shaped' shell, up to 9 cm long and 6.5 cm broad, that is slightly coiled. The outer surface is greenish-brown to red and often mottled. The inner surface is lined with iridescent mother of pearl. A row of round, slightly raised holes runs along the bottom margin of the shell. The outer, larger, 5-7 of these are open while the remainder are closed. The foot is large and muscular.
Identifying features
  • A flattened, asymmetric ear-shaped shell, up to 9 cm long, 6.5 cm broad and 2 cm high with a low spire and a flattened whorl at one end.
  • Outer surface is finely lined and mottled greenish-brown to red in colour.
  • Inner surface lined with mother of pearl.
  • There is a series of small raised holes along the margin of the shell. The outer 5-7 of these are large and form openings in the shell, while the remainder are closed.
Additional information icon Additional information

This review can be cited as follows:

Penny Avant 2007. Haliotis tuberculata. Green ormer. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 24/05/2013]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesinformation.php?speciesID=3450>