This small abalone species is distinguished by its heavily-corrugated shell and pronounced ridgeline, although this is not as evident in the Eastern subspecies as it is in Haliotis scalaris ssp. scalaris. It is usually a striped red and white color, and the lip of the animal is green and white striped. It can be confused with other abalone species, particularly H. rubra, but can be identified by the features detailed above, as well as its relatively small size.
