Sphaerechinus granularis | |
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Sphaerechinus granularis on Madeira | |
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Species: | S. granularis |
Binomial name | |
Sphaerechinus granularis | |
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Sphaerechinus granularis is a species of sea urchin in the family Toxopneustidae, commonly known as the violet sea urchin, [2] or sometimes the purple sea urchin (though the latter is also a common name for a Pacific sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus ). Its range includes the Mediterranean Sea and eastern Atlantic Ocean. [1]
S. granularis is a large sea urchin, somewhat flattened dorsally and growing to fifteen centimetres in diameter. There are two distinct colour forms. The test is purple in both but one has purple spines and the other white. The spines are short and blunt, all the same length, and arranged neatly in rows. [3]
S. granularis is found in the Mediterranean Sea and the eastern Atlantic Ocean, from the Channel Islands south to Cape Verde and the Gulf of Guinea. It favours sheltered locations and lives on rocks covered with seaweed or gravelly substrates. It is usually found in the neritic zone down to about 30 metres (100 ft), [3] but it is occasionally as 130 metres (430 ft). [4] It is also found in meadows of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica . [5]
S. granularis often covers itself with morsels of algae and shell fragments, which are held in place by the tube feet and by the claw-like structures known as pedicellaria. [6] It grazes on algae, especially encrusting coralline algae, seagrass blades and their epiphytic organisms and detritus. [7]
Spawning takes place at any time of year but the peak period is spring and early summer. Eggs and sperm are liberated into the water column, where egg fertilisation takes place. The larvae are planktonic. After several moults, the echinopluteus larva settles and undergoes metamorphosis before developing into a juvenile.
In Tunisia, S. granularis is found living in association with two other species of sea urchins, Centrostephanus longispinus and Paracentrotus lividus . It is preyed upon by the starfish Marthasterias glacialis and Luidia ciliaris . [7]
The gonads of S. granularis are considered a delicacy in Italy, Provence [8] and Catalonia. [9]
Diadema antillarum, also known as the lime urchin, black sea urchin, or the long-spined sea urchin, is a species of sea urchin in the family Diadematidae.
Astropyga radiata, the red urchin, fire urchin, false fire urchin or blue-spotted urchin, is a species of sea urchin in the family Diadematidae. It is a large species with long spines and is found in the tropical Indo-Pacific region. It was first described in 1778 by the German naturalist Nathaniel Gottfried Leske.
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.
Bald sea urchin disease is a bacterial disease known to affect several species of sea urchins in the Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic and along the California coastline. Research suggests two pathogens are responsible for the disease, Listonella anguillarum and Aeromonas salmonicida.
Eucidaris tribuloides, the slate pencil urchin, is a species of cidaroid sea urchins that inhabits littoral regions of the Atlantic Ocean. As a member of the basal echinoid order Cidaroida, its morphological, developmental and molecular genetic characteristics make it a phylogenetically interesting species.
Tripneustes gratilla, the collector urchin, is a species of sea urchin. Collector urchins are found at depths of 2 to 30 metres in the waters of the Indo-Pacific, Hawaii, the Red Sea, and The Bahamas. They can reach 10 to 15 centimetres in size.
Tripneustes ventricosus, commonly called the West Indian sea egg or white sea urchin, is a species of sea urchin. It is common in the Caribbean Sea, the Bahamas and Florida and may be found at depths of less than 10 metres (33 ft).
Toxopneustes pileolus, commonly known as the flower urchin, is a widespread and commonly encountered species of sea urchin from the Indo-West Pacific. It is considered highly dangerous, as it is capable of delivering extremely painful and medically significant stings when touched. It inhabits coral reefs, seagrass beds, and rocky or sandy environments at depths of up to 90 m (295 ft). It feeds on algae, bryozoans, and organic detritus.
Echinometra mathaei, the burrowing urchin, is a species of sea urchin in the family Echinometridae. It occurs in shallow waters in the Indo-Pacific region. The type locality is Mauritius.
Cymodocea nodosa is a species of seagrass in the family Cymodoceaceae and is sometimes known as little Neptune grass. As a seagrass, it is restricted to growing underwater and is found in shallow parts of the Mediterranean Sea and certain adjoining areas of the Atlantic Ocean.
Paracentrotus lividus is a species of sea urchin in the family Parechinidae commonly known as the purple sea urchin. It is the type species of the genus and occurs in the Mediterranean Sea and eastern Atlantic Ocean.
Psammechinus miliaris is a species of sea urchin in the family Parechinidae. It is sometimes known as the green sea urchin or shore sea urchin. It is found in shallow areas of the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea.
Echinus melo, melon sea urchin, is a species of sea urchin in the family Echinidae.
Spatangus purpureus, commonly known as the purple heart urchin, is a species of sea urchin in the family Spatangidae. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, where it lives immersed in the sediment.
Centrostephanus longispinus, the hatpin urchin, is a species of sea urchin in the family Diadematidae. There are two subspecies, Centrostephanus l. longispinus, found in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea and Centrostephanus l. rubricingulus, found in the western Atlantic.
Cidaris cidaris is a species of sea urchin commonly known as the long-spine slate pen sea urchin. It is found in deep water in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
Clavularia crassa is a species of colonial soft coral in the family Clavulariidae. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It was first described in 1848 by the French zoologist Henri Milne-Edwards from a specimen collected off the coast of Algeria.
Maasella is a genus of soft coral in the family Paralcyoniidae. It is monotypic, with only a single species, Maasella edwardsi. Usually of greenish brown or golden brown color, each polyp has eight pinnate tentacles. This soft coral is found in the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, at depths of between 2 and 50 metres.
Apletodon dentatus, the small-headed clingfish, is a species of clingfish from the family Gobiesocidae. It is a benthic fish of shallow, rocky water on the coasts of the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the western Mediterranean Sea.
Processa edulis is a species of caridean shrimp found in shallow water in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It mostly inhabits seagrass beds and eelgrass flats, hiding by day and feeding at night. A common name for it is nika shrimp.