| Gracilechinus | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Gracilechinus acutus at the Biodiversarium of the Observatoire océanologique de Banyuls-sur-Mer | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Echinodermata |
| Class: | Echinoidea |
| Order: | Camarodonta |
| Family: | Echinidae |
| Genus: | Gracilechinus Fell & Pawson, 1966 |
| Species | |
See text | |
Gracilechinus is a genus of sea urchins in the family Echinidae.
The species in this genus are regular sea urchins, with a rounded test, bearing the anus at the top and the mouth at the bottom. They are extremely similar to species in the genus Echinus , but are differentiated by a primary tubercle on every interambulacral plate. [1]
Most species in this genus are abyssal, and live in the North Atlantic or close cold seas.
Species in this genus include: [2]
| Image | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|
| | Gracilechinus acutus (Lamarck, 1816) | Europe (Mediterranean and Atlantic) |
| Gracilechinus affinis (Mortensen, 1903) | center Atlantic | |
| Gracilechinus alexandri (Döderlein & Koren, 1883) | Northern Atlantic | |
| Gracilechinus atlanticus (Mortensen, 1903) | Atlantic | |
| Gracilechinus elegans (Düben & Koren, 1844) | North-east Atlantic | |
| | Gracilechinus gracilis (Agassiz, 1869) | Caribbean |
| | Gracilechinus lucidus (Döderlein, 1885) | North-west Pacific |
| Gracilechinus stenoporus (Mortensen, 1942) | South Africa | |