Chromosome number of the South African abalone Haliotis midae

Abstract

Despite the widespread distribution of the genus Haliotis, chromosome numbers are only known for a small subset of species. In South Africa, no chromosome studies have been conducted on any of the five species occurring in the region. This study is the first report for Haliotis midae, the largest and only economically important species in South Africa, with a somatic chromosome number of 2n = 36. The study also provides the first count for a species in the southernmost radiation of abalone comprising South African, Australian and New Zealand species, and corroborates the hypothesis of the radiation of the genus into the Southern and Northern hemispheres from the Indo-Pacific area.