Echinometra sp.
©Anne Hoggett: Echinometra sp. from under rubble exposed at low tide on the reef flat at Coconut Beach, Lizard island.
©Anne Hoggett: Echinometra sp. from under rubble exposed at low tide on the reef flat at Coconut Beach, Lizard island.
©Anne Hoggett: Spine detail of Echinometra sp. from under rubble exposed at low tide on the reef flat at Coconut Beach, Lizard island.
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Echinodermata
Class
Echinoidea
Order
Echinoida
Family
Echinometridae
Genus
Echinometra
Species
Echinometra sp.
Colours
Distinguishing features
Oval test with dark purple skin, green longitudinally-ridged spines with bright white milled ring at base.
Only one species of Echinometra, E. mathaei, is recorded from the Great Barrier Reef (ALA accessed 18 Jul 2020). This rare colour morph form may be that species, which is common at Lizard Island with a very different colour pattern. However, four species of Echinometra are considered to be valid at Okinawa and another undescribed species likely exists at Zanzibar and the Red Sea (Bronstein and Loya, 2013) so it is possible that there is more than one species on the Great Barrier Reef.
Size
- Size data has not been obtained.
Depth range
- Depth range data is not yet available.
Synonyms
Similar taxa
Distribution
Web resources
References
- Bronstein, O. and Y. Loya (2013). The taxonomy and phylogeny of Echinometra (Camarodonta: Echinometridae) from the Red Sea and Western Indian Ocean. PLoS, 8(10): e77374. LIRS catalog number 90364.