Confirmed record of abalone Haliotis arabiensis near Muscat (Sea of Oman) and a description of abalone species from the Arabian Peninsula

Abstract

Haliotis arabiensis Owen, Regter & Van Laethem, 2016 was found near Muscat city of Oman in the Sea of Oman in September 2021. A total of 85 abalone specimens were collected under small boulders from a depth of 2–5 m during the scuba diving survey from seven stations located from Sidab to Bandar Khairan. The shell length (SL) of the abalone ranged between 10.0 and 30.0 mm, on average 19.9 ± 0.22 mm SL. The sex was determined in 15 females and 21 males. The study presents photos and a comparative table with morphological descriptions of four abalone species (H. arabiensis, H. mariae, H. rugosa multiperforata and H. unilateralis) which are important for differentiating the small abalone species from juveniles of H. mariae during monitoring surveys of this important commercial species in Oman.

Keywords

• Haliotis arabiensis
• Abalone
• Description
• Muscat
• Sea of Oman