Psammechinus microtuberculatus


Psammechinus microtuberculatus, also known as the green sea urchin, is a species of sea urchin in the family Parechinidae.

Description

This is a small, brown, herbivorous sea urchin nearly spherical in shape. It has with short spines greenish or whitish in colour. It grows to a maximum diameter of 5 centimetres.

Distribution

Psammechinus microtuberculatus is found in the western and eastern Atlantic Ocean, the Adriatic Sea and Aegean Sea. It also occurs throughout the entire Mediterranean Sea, though very rare.

Habitat

This species occurs in the benthic zone at depths of between 1 and 685 metres. It prefers to live near sandy areas, and can be found on hard bottoms of mud or rock.

Parasites

Psammechinus microtuberculatus is known to host the following ectoparasites: