Echinometra mathaei

(Blainville, 1825)

Vernacular names
English : Rock-boring urchin
French : Oursin perforant

Classification
Class : Echinoidea
Order : Camarodonta
Family : Echinometridae
Notes : No subspecies known.

Identification
Adults can reach a test diameter of 8 cm with very thick conic spines reaching up to 6 cm in length. Test is usually dark and base of spines have conspicuous white ring. Spines are brown, black or red, sometimes with clear tips.

Range and habitat
The species occurs in the Indo-Pacific area, from Red Sea and East Africa to Hawaii, north to south Japan and south to north Australia. Lives in flat coral reef areas, usually from surface to 10 m, rarely deeper.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : NOT LISTED
CITES : Not listed
Status : The species hasn’t been assessed by IUCN. It is locally abundant but its habitats are more and more threatened. Assessment is recommended soon.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

Back to “Echinoderms, Sponges and Hydrozoas” page