Type material: Holotype (69.0mm long x 48.8mm wide x 20.8mm high) deposited at Paris National Museum of NaturalHistory, France with Registration No: MNHN-IM-2000-38125.
Other material: Paratype 1 (57.1mm) and Paratype 2 (47.7mm) in Dr Thach collection. All types from type locality.
Type locality: Nha Trang area, Khanh Hoa Province, Central Vietnam.
Habitat: On rocky walls at 2-5m.
Diagnosis: The new species is characterized by medium-size, robust shell, very rough outer surface, strongly concave columella, very elevated spire, convex area between series of holes and outer edge. Description: Shell large with length range 47.7-69mm of collected specimens, robust, thick, ovate in outline. Shell width 70.3% and shell height 26.0% of shell length. Outer surface rugose, ornamented with white radiating stripes and many short, distant rectilinear lines in area located between row of holes and outer edge of the shell. Only 5-6 open holes, apex, hardly visible at ventral side and very elevated at dorsal side. Sculpture at body whorl consists of inflated radial ridges, crossed by rounded, bisected spiral ribs. Area between row of holes and outer edge wide, not concave with many oblique ribs. Aperture very wide with external spiral ribs and radial ridges well visible inside, outer lip thick, regularly convex. Columella very broad and concave near anterior end. Color externally purplish-black to purple-brown.
Comparison: The new species differs mainly from original figure of Haliotis diversicolor Reeve, 1846 (Fig.34) in (1) apex broader and more elevated, (2) presence of many obliqe ribs at area between series of holes and outer edge, (3) white radiating stripes not undulate and not lacking at anterior part, (4) presence of oblique bands at area between series of holes and outer edge, (5) spiral ribs not widely-spaced, (6) anterior end not rounded, (7) outer lip less convex, (8) not many colors on the same specimen, (9) columella concave, broader and sculptured with many short, strong ribs, (10) less elongate shape, (11) different localties.
The ventral side of new species is distinguished mainly from Haliotis diversicolor Reeve, 1846 (Fig.37) by (1) columella concave and not irregularly wide, (2) spiral ribs not widely-spaced, (3) posterior end not narrow, (4) outer lip much thicker, (5) larger holes, (6) posterior part wider, (7) less elongate shape, (8) different localities, Vietnam versus Taiwan.
Etymology: The new species is named in honor of Franz Huber from Austria for his interest at Vietnamese shells.