Haliotis midae
species of mollusc
Haliotis midae, known commonly as the South African abalone or the perlemoen, is a species of large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Haliotidae, the abalone.
It is highly sought after by criminal organisations and a thriving black market exists for it, leading to a catastrophic decline in stocks.
Subspecies
Haliotis midae volcanius Patamakanthin & Eng, 2007
Description
The size of the shell varies between 12 and 20 cm (4.7–7.9 in). "The large shell has a rounded-oval shape and is moderately convex. The distance of the apex from the margin about equals one-fifth the greatest length of the shell. The body whorl is strongly angled at the position of the perforations, perpendicularly descending from the angle to the columellar margin. The surface shows strong, elevated, radiating wrinkles or lamellae, but no spiral markings when adult. The 6 to 11 perforations are small, subcircular, and separated by spaces greater than their own diameter. The two sides are about equally curved. The convexity varies with age.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Haliotis midae” is species of mollusc. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Haliotis, midae and species, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “species of mollusc” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Datasets, specimens, observations and peer-reviewed methods provide the appropriate test for the technical claims summarized here. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 19, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3643309. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2007.
A general summary may omit uncertainty, sample limits or methodological disagreement that is explicit in the technical record. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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Three-step research path
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Haliotis midae” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.