Editing Abalone (section)

{{Short description|Common name for a group of sea snails}}
{{About||other uses||the Abelone grape|Chasselas}}
{{mergefrom|Haliotis|date=March 2025}}
{{redirect|Ormer|the restaurant|Ormer (restaurant)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
[[File:LivingAbalone.JPG|thumb|Living abalone in tank showing epipodium and tentacles, anterior end to the right.]]

'''Abalone''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=En-us-abalone.ogg|ˈ|æ|b|ə|l|oʊ|n|i}} or {{IPAc-en|ˌ|æ|b|ə|ˈ|l|oʊ|n|i}}; via Spanish {{lang|es|abulón}}, from <!--{{etyl|css|en}}--> [[Rumsen language|Rumsen]] ''aulón''<!--{{term|aulón}}-->) is a [[common name]] for any small to very large [[marine life|marine]] [[gastropod]] [[mollusc]] in the [[family (biology)|family]] [[Haliotidae]], which once contained six [[genera]] but now contains only one genus, ''[[Haliotis]]''.<ref name="WoRMS">{{harvnb|Gofas|Tran|Bouchet|2014}}</ref> Other [[common name]]s are '''ear shells''', '''sea ears''', and, now rarely, '''muttonfish''' or '''muttonshells''' in parts of [[Australia]], '''ormer''' in the [[United Kingdom]], '''perlemoen''' in [[South Africa]], and '''pāua''' in [[New Zealand]].<ref name="MtSS">{{harvnb|Beesley|Ross|Wells|1998}}{{page needed|date=August 2014}}</ref> The number of abalone species recognized worldwide ranges between 30<ref name="DCMD">{{harvnb|Dauphin|Cuif|Mutvei|Denis|1989|p=9}}</ref> and 130<ref name="Cox">{{harvnb|Cox|1962|p=8}}</ref> with over 230 species-level taxa described. The most comprehensive treatment of the family considers 56 species valid, with 18 additional [[subspecies]].<ref name="GO">{{harvnb|Geiger|Owen|2012}}{{page needed|date=August 2014}}</ref>

The [[gastropod shell|shell]]s of abalone have a low, open spiral structure, and are characterized by several open respiratory pores in a row near the shell's outer edge. The thick inner layer of the shell is composed of [[nacre]], which in many species is highly [[iridescence|iridescent]], giving rise to a range of strong, changeable colors which make the shells attractive to humans as [[ornament (art)|ornament]]s, [[jewelry]], and as a source of colorful [[mother-of-pearl]].

The flesh of abalone is widely considered to be a [[delicacy]], and is consumed raw or cooked by a variety of [[cuisine]]s.