NOTE ON THE GENUS HALIOTIS 
With a Description of a New Variety 
BY HENRY HEMPHILL 
‘The genus Haliotis consists of quite large ear-shaped shells, brilliantly 
iridescent internally, and when the foreign matter that frequently accum- 
ulates on the outer surface is properly removed, most of the shells show 
a highly-colored exterior. 
So far as we know at present the South Seas in the vicinity of Aus- 
tralia, and the adjacent islands, appear to be the metropolis of the genus, 
for there the greatest number of the known forms are found. 
Woodward, Adams and Tryon recognize in their works on Conchology 
about 75 species. 
In the later monograph of this genus by Pilsbry it seems that there 
have been described and named about 150 species. Dr. Pilsbry recog- 
nizes among them about 60 valid species, and 14 varieties worthy of a 
name, with several that he could not identify by the descriptions alone. 
The rest he places in the synonomy of the others. 
The geographical distribution of the genus may be summed up as 
follows: Australia and adjacent islands, 30 species; Ceylon, Mauritius 
and Eastern Seas, 3; West Coast of Africa, 1; Cape of Good Hope, 3; 
Cape Verde Islands, 1; Mediterranean Sea and British Islands, 1, with 
two varieties; Gulf Stream, 1; Galapagos Islands (?), 1; Cape Horn Re- 
gion, 1 and one variety; Philippine Islands, Japan and China, 7 or 8; 
West Coast of North America, from Alaska south to the Gulf of Califor- 
nia, 5 and one variety. 
The localities of about 16 species are unknown. None have been 
found on the west coast of America south of the Gulf of California, and 
not a single specimen has yet rewarded the researches of the collector 
along the east coast of America, from the Arctic regions to Cape Horn, 
except the one species and its variety already credited to the Cape Horn 
region, 
From the above record of its distribution, it will be seen that the 
genus has succeeded in circumnavigating the globe, though greatly re- 
duced in the number of species as it wanders away from its metropolis or 
the Australia region. 
