Haliotis virginea Gmelin, 1791 and a new abalone from Aotearoa New Zealand (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Haliotidae)

Abstract

Several subspecies and forms of Haliotis virginea Gmelin, 1791 have been recognised, with intergrading variants between many of them. Published genetic data recovered none of the named subspecies as both monophyletic and significantly divergent from one another. Conversely, specimens previously referred to H. virginea from Manawatāwhi Three Kings Islands formed a strongly supported, highly divergent, monophyletic clade, herein described as Haliotis pirimoana n. sp. This species differs subtly but consistently in having finer and more numerous spiral threads than H. virginea at an equivalent stage of growth. Haliotis crispata A. Gould, 1847, H. gibba R.A. Philippi, 1846, H. huttoni Filhol, 1880, H. virginea morioria A.W.B. Powell, 1938, and H. virginea stewartae M. Jones & B. Owen, 2004 are interpreted as synonyms of H. virginea. Neotypes are designated for H. crispata and H. huttoni. ZooBank article LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:C0F24F1D-E531-40A7-AAB6-932086847DD7.