Lytechinus pictus

Lytechinus pictus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Echinodermata
Class:	Echinoidea
Order:	Camarodonta
Family:	Toxopneustidae
Genus:	Lytechinus
Species:	L. pictus
Binomial name
	Lytechinus pictus; (Verrill, 1867)
Synonyms
	Lytechinus anamesus H.L. Clark, 1912; Psammechinus pictus Verrill, 1867;

Last updated October 18, 2024

Lytechinus pictus, commonly known as the painted urchin,^[2] is a sea urchin in the family Toxopneustidae. It occurs on shallow reefs in the tropical and subtropical eastern Pacific Ocean, off the coasts of California, Central America and South America as far south as Ecuador.

Taxonomy

This sea urchin was first described in 1867 by the American zoologist Addison Emery Verrill who gave it the name Psammechinus pictus. It was later transferred to the genus Lytechinus and became Lytechinus pictus.^[1] In 1912, another species Lytechinus anamesus was described by American zoologist Hubert Lyman Clark as Lytechinus anamesus. He was the curator of echinoderms at the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University at the time.^[3] It had long been suspected that L. pictus and L. anamesus were synonymous, and this was confirmed by analysis of mitochondrial DNA in 2004.^[4]

Description

The test of this sea urchin is up to 40 mm (1.6 in) in diameter. The general colour is greyish or pale straw brown, sometimes with a pinkish flush. The spines are robust, short and blunt, the basal half of each spine usually being white while the rest of the spine varies in colour. Juvenile urchins sometimes have banded spines.^[5]

Online Model Organism Database

Echinobase is the model organism database for the painted urchin and a number of other echinoderms.

Distribution and habitat

Lytechinus pictus is found in the tropical and subtropical eastern Pacific Ocean at depths down to about 300 m (1,000 ft).^[6] Its range extends from central California southwards to Ecuador. In California it tends to inhabit the middle and lower intertidal zone but in the northern part of the Gulf of California it mainly inhabits the subtidal zone.^[5]

These sea urchins tend to form dense aggregations at the edge of, or inside, the kelp beds that line this coast. At San Onofre, California in 1978–79, the density of individuals close to the kelp beds was recorded at 80 per square metre while inside the kelp bed it was 40.^[7] At Anacapa Island, California, the highest densities (36 per sq.m.) were found in barren areas with coralline algae near the kelp beds.^[7]

Ecology

This sea urchin tends to be more active at night. During the day it may semi-bury itself in sand, and it sometimes disguises itself with fragments of shell and gravel held in place by its tube feet.^[5] It feeds on kelp, particularly Macrocystis , Gigartina and Laminaria , but primarily grazes on young stages rather than fully-grown fronds. In the California kelp forests, the painted urchin is preyed on by the bat star (Patiria miniata).^[8]

Related Research Articles

An echinoderm is any deuterostomal animal of the phylum Echinodermata, which includes starfish, brittle stars, sea urchins, sand dollars and sea cucumbers, as well as the sessile sea lilies or "stone lilies". While bilaterally symmetrical as larvae, as adults echinoderms are recognisable by their usually five-pointed radial symmetry, and are found on the sea bed at every ocean depth from the intertidal zone to the abyssal zone. The phylum contains about 7,600 living species, making it the second-largest group of deuterostomes after the chordates, as well as the largest marine-only phylum. The first definitive echinoderms appeared near the start of the Cambrian.

Sea urchins or urchins are typically spiny, globular animals, echinoderms in the class Echinoidea. About 950 species live on the seabed, inhabiting all oceans and depth zones from the intertidal to 5,000 metres. Their tests are round and spiny, typically from 3 to 10 cm across. Sea urchins move slowly, crawling with their tube feet, and sometimes pushing themselves with their spines. They feed primarily on algae but also eat slow-moving or sessile animals. Their predators include sea otters, starfish, wolf eels, and triggerfish.

The red sea urchin is a sea urchin found in the northeastern Pacific Ocean from Alaska to Baja California. It lives in shallow waters from the low-tide line to greater than 280 m (920 ft) deep, and is typically found on rocky shores sheltered from extreme wave action in areas where kelp is available.

<i>Diadema</i> (sea urchin) Genus of sea urchins

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Kina is a sea urchin endemic to New Zealand. This echinoderm belongs to the family Echinometridae and it can reach a maximum diameter of 16–17 cm.

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Lytechinus variegatus, commonly called the green sea urchin or the variegated sea urchin, is a species of sea urchin that can be found in the warm waters of the western Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea.

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Abatus cordatus is a species of sea urchin in the family Schizasteridae. It is native to shallow seas surrounding certain island groups in the southern Indian Ocean. The body is protected by a hard test or shell which is covered with spines. The female broods its young in deep pockets on the upper surface, retaining the young in place with specialised spines. American zoologist Addison Emery Verrill first scientifically described A. cordatus in 1876.

Apatopygus occidentalis is a species of sea urchin of the family Apatopygidae. Their armour is covered with spines. It is placed in the genus Apatopygus and lives in the sea. Apatopygus occidentalis was first scientifically described in 1928 by Hubert Lyman Clark, American zoologist.

Araeosoma paucispinum is a species of sea urchin of the family Echinothuriidae. Its armour is covered with spines. It is placed in the genus Araeosoma and lives in the sea. A. paucispinum was first scientifically described in 1924 by Hubert Lyman Clark, an American zoologist.

Lytechinus is a genus of sea urchins.

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References

1 2 3 Kroh, Andreas (2018). Kroh A, Mooi R (eds.). "Lytechinus pictus (Verrill, 1867)". World Echinoidea Database. World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved 9 September 2018.
↑ "Lytechinus pictus: Painted Urchin". Encyclopedia of Life. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
↑ "Clark, Hubert Lyman (1870–1947)". Australian Dictionary of Biography . Australian National University . Retrieved 9 September 2018.
↑ Lawrence, John M. (2006). Edible Sea Urchins: Biology and Ecology. Elsevier. p. 473. ISBN 978-0-08-046558-6.
1 2 3 Brusca, R.C. (1980). Common Intertidal Invertebrates of the Gulf of California (2 ed.). Tucson, Arizona: University of Arizona Press. p. 413. ISBN 978-0-8165-1754-1.
↑ "Lytechinus pictus (Verrill, 1867)". SeaLifeBase. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
1 2 Lawrence, John M. (2006). Edible Sea Urchins: Biology and Ecology. Elsevier. pp. 476–477. ISBN 978-0-08-046558-6.
↑ Lawrence, John M. (2006). Edible Sea Urchins: Biology and Ecology. Elsevier. p. 480. ISBN 978-0-08-046558-6.

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[WoRMS-1] 1 2 3 Kroh, Andreas (2018). Kroh A, Mooi R (eds.). "Lytechinus pictus (Verrill, 1867)". World Echinoidea Database. World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved 9 September 2018.

[2] "Lytechinus pictus: Painted Urchin". Encyclopedia of Life. Retrieved 9 September 2018.

[3] "Clark, Hubert Lyman (1870–1947)". Australian Dictionary of Biography . Australian National University . Retrieved 9 September 2018.

[Lawrence-4] Lawrence, John M. (2006). Edible Sea Urchins: Biology and Ecology. Elsevier. p. 473. ISBN 978-0-08-046558-6.

[Brusca_1980-5] 1 2 3 Brusca, R.C. (1980). Common Intertidal Invertebrates of the Gulf of California (2 ed.). Tucson, Arizona: University of Arizona Press. p. 413. ISBN 978-0-8165-1754-1.

[6] "Lytechinus pictus (Verrill, 1867)". SeaLifeBase. Retrieved 9 September 2018.

[Lawrence476-7] 1 2 Lawrence, John M. (2006). Edible Sea Urchins: Biology and Ecology. Elsevier. pp. 476–477. ISBN 978-0-08-046558-6.

[8] Lawrence, John M. (2006). Edible Sea Urchins: Biology and Ecology. Elsevier. p. 480. ISBN 978-0-08-046558-6.

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