Diadema antillarum
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 Diadema antillarum
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| Diadema antillarum (Philippi, 1845) |
Diadema antillarum is a sea urchin of the Family Diadematidae. It has long black spines, and was once the most abundant and important herbivore on the coral reefs of the western Atlantic and Caribbean basin. In this role it was the main grazer that maintained the balance between algae growth and destruction.
In 1983 however it underwent mass mortality, with more than 97% of the urchins dying throughout the Caribbean. Since this time some Caribbean reefs have been overcome by micro-algae which stifles coral growth, it also has resulted in widespread coral disease.
Diadema antillarum is still in some places one of the most abundant, widespread, and ecologically important shallow water genera of tropical sea urchins. It is found in tropical oceans, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region, where it inhabits depths down to 70 m.
