Green ormer (Haliotis tuberculata)

Distribution data supplied by the Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS). To interrogate UK data visit the NBN Atlas.Map Help

Summary

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.

Recorded distribution in Britain and Ireland

Found in the Channel Isles but absent from the coasts of Britain and Ireland.

Global distribution

Found on the coast of Brittany, and south to the Mediterranean, Azores and Canary Islands.

Habitat

Found on rocky shores, from MLW to depths of about 40 m, commonly feeding on rocks covered with encrusting red algae.

Depth range

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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

-none-

Listed by

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Further information sources

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Bibliography

  1. Fish, J.D. & Fish, S., 1996. A student's guide to the seashore. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

  2. Graham, A., 1988. Molluscs: prosobranchs and pyramellid gastropods (2nd ed.). Leiden: E.J. Brill/Dr W. Backhuys. [Synopses of the British Fauna No. 2]

  3. Hayward, P.J. & Ryland, J.S. (ed.) 1995b. Handbook of the marine fauna of North-West Europe. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

  4. Howson, C.M. & Picton, B.E., 1997. The species directory of the marine fauna and flora of the British Isles and surrounding seas. Belfast: Ulster Museum. [Ulster Museum publication, no. 276.]

  5. Mgaya, Y.D., 1995. Synopsis of biological data on the European abalone (ormer) Haliotis tuberculata Linnaeus, 1758 (Gastropoda: Haliotidae). FAO Fisheries Synopsis no. 156

Datasets

  1. Conchological Society of Great Britain & Ireland, 2023. Mollusc (marine) records for Great Britain and Ireland. Occurrence dataset: https://doi.org/10.15468/aurwcz accessed via GBIF.org on 2024-09-27.

  2. Fenwick, 2018. Aphotomarine. Occurrence dataset http://www.aphotomarine.com/index.html Accessed via NBNAtlas.org on 2018-10-01

  3. NBN (National Biodiversity Network) Atlas. Available from: https://www.nbnatlas.org.

  4. OBIS (Ocean Biodiversity Information System),  2025. Global map of species distribution using gridded data. Available from: Ocean Biogeographic Information System. www.iobis.org. Accessed: 2025-05-30

Citation

This review can be cited as:

Avant, P. 2007. Haliotis tuberculata Green ormer. In Tyler-Walters H. and Hiscock K. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Reviews, [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 30-05-2025]. Available from: https://marlin.ac.uk/species/detail/1692

Last Updated: 13/02/2007