Gracilechinus
| Gracilechinus acutus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Gracilechinus acutus at the Biodiversarium of the Observatoire océanologique de Banyuls-sur-Mer | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Echinodermata |
| Class: | Echinoidea |
| Order: | Echinoida |
| Family: | Echinidae |
| Genus: | Gracilechinus |
| Species | |
|
see text | |
Gracilechinus is a genus of sea urchins in the family Echinidae.
Description and characteristics
The species in this genus are regular sea urchins, with a rounded test, bearing the anus at the top and the mouth at the bottom. They are extremely similar to species in the genus Echinus, but are differentiated by the fact that they bear a primary turbercle on every interambulacral plates.[1]
Most species in this genus are abyssal, and live in the North Atlantic or close cold seas.
Species
Species in this genus include:[2]
- Gracilechinus acutus (Lamarck, 1816) -- Europe (Mediterranean and Atlantic)
- Gracilechinus affinis (Mortensen, 1903) -- center Atlantic
- Gracilechinus alexandri (Danielssen & Koren, 1883) -- Northern Atlantic
- Gracilechinus atlanticus (Mortensen, 1903) -- Atlantic
- Gracilechinus elegans (Düben & Koren, 1844) -- North-east Atlantic
- Gracilechinus gracilis (A. Agassiz, 1869) -- Caribbean
- Gracilechinus lucidus (Döderlein, 1885) -- North-west Pacific
- Gracilechinus stenoporus (Mortensen, 1942) -- South Africa
Test of a Gracilechinus acutus
References
- ↑ "Gracilechinus". Echinoid Directory.
- ↑ Andreas Kroh (2015), Gracilechinus in Kroh, A. & Mooi, R. (2015), World Echinoidea Database.
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