Psammechinus microtuberculatus

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Psammechinus microtuberculatus
Psammechinus microtuberculatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Echinodermata
Class: Echinoidea
Superorder: Echinacea
Order: Camarodonta
Family: Parechinidae
Genus: Psammechinus
Species: P. microtuberculatus
Binomial name
Psammechinus microtuberculatus
(Blainville, 1825)[1]
Synonyms
  • Echinus (Psammechinus) microtuberculatus Blainville, 1825
  • Echinus decoratus L. Agassiz, 1841
  • Echinus microtuberculatus Blainville, 1825
  • Echinus parvituberculatus Blainville, 1834
  • Echinus pulchellus L. Agassiz, 1841
  • Psammechinus parvituberculatus (Blainville, 1834)
  • Psammechinus pulchellus (L. Agassiz, 1841)

Psammechinus microtuberculatus, also known as the green sea urchin,[2] is a species of sea urchin in the family Parechinidae.[1]

Description

This is a small, brown, herbivorous[3] sea urchin nearly spherical in shape. It has with short spines greenish or whitish in colour. It grows to a maximum diameter of 5 centimetres.[3]

Distribution

Psammechinus microtuberculatus is found in the western and eastern Atlantic Ocean, the Adriatic Sea and Aegean Sea.[4] It also occurs throughout the entire Mediterranean Sea, though very rare.[3]

Habitat

This species occurs in the benthic zone at depths of between 1 and 685 metres.[3] It prefers to live near sandy areas, and can be found on hard bottoms of mud or rock.[5]

Parasites

Psammechinus microtuberculatus is known to host the following ectoparasites:[4]

  • Asterocheres minutus (Claus), (1889)
  • Asterocheres violaceus (Claus), (1889)

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Psammechinus microtuberculatus (Blainville, 1825)". Marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2012-06-27. 
  2. ↑ "Psammechinus microtuberculatus". Natuurlijkmooi.net. Retrieved 2012-07-21. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Psammechinus microtuberculatus". Sealifebase.org. Retrieved 2012-07-21. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species". Marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2012-07-21. 
  5. ↑ "Psammechinus microtuberculatus, Sea urchin". Seadb.net. Retrieved 2012-07-21. 
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