Haliotis planata Sowerby II, 1882 |
Distribution: S. Japan to Fiji, Thailand to N. Australia, Melanesia. Size to 77mm. Coral reefs. |
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3-5m deep, on rocks, Racha island, Phuket, Thailand. 30-31mm. Spiral cords, rounded to squary, crossed by growth lines that sometimes give a scaly appearance. Inner surface similar to glabra , spirally striated. |
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Same spot, 30-31mm. The species varies a lot along its range. Average planatas are often a bit rounder. Usually, no bumps on the dorsum. When they exist, they are irregularly placed. |
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Australia, Northern Territories, Arnhem Land, Gove, on reef, on main beach. 34mm. Proscline flammae are not uncommon. Glabra is flatter, ovina is rounder and smoother. |
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"Irregular radial growth marks [...] nacre bright with blueish sheens, showing spiral furrows" (Geiger). Swains Reef, west of Hixson, Queensland. 36mm. The blueish sheens seem not to be a constant. |
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This shell shows characters that are typical of planata: cords and furrows, holes quite large. But it comes from Great Keppel island, Queensland, a place out of the known range of the species. Also, some little bumps appear. 32mm. Maybe a varia. |
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Specimen collected dead on intertidal rocks, Samar, Philippines. 33,5mm. |
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A specimen from Margaret river, Western Australia. 40mm. |
| All pics © Olivier Caro |