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Trees- ShrubsLong-Spine Slate Pen Sea Urchin ( Cidaris cidaris )
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There are 4 species within the genus of Cidaris (1). None have been evaluated on the IUCN Redlist (2). The long-spine slate pen sea urchin has large, light grey spines, with the end verging on green and smaller green spines. The largest shells are often twice as long as the shell diameter (3).
This deep water species is found between 50-700 metres and is often locally common (3). It has been found on gravel, stones and coral (6)(7).
This urchin starts life as an echinopluteus larva; a planktonic and feeding larval which possesses limb-like growths bearing ciliated bands, with a supporting skeleton (5).
C.cidaris is common throughout the Mediterranean and North Eastern Atlantic (6) (8).
Cidaris cidaris have been noted to generally live in groups (4).
Long spine slate pen sea urchins tend to have a preference for sponges and algae (4).
Not evaluated under the IUCN Redlist (2).
Description written by Kathryn Woodward (2009)
(1) de Gruyter, W., 1996. Concise Encyclopedia: Biology. New York.
(2) Hansson, H., 2009. Cidaris cidaris. [Online] Available at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=124257 [Accessed 23 June 2009].
(3) ITIS Report, 2003. Cidaris cidaris. [Online] Available at: http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=157837 [Accessed 18 June 2009].
(4) IUCN, 2009. IUCN. [Online] (2009.1) Available at: www.iucnredlist.org [Accessed 16 June 2009].
(5) Joint Nature Conservation Committee, 2008. Offshore Special Area of Conservation: North West Rockall Bank. [Online] (2.1) Available at: http://www.jncc.gov.uk/pdf/NorthWestRockallBank_SelectionAssessment_2.1_.pdf [Accessed 23 June 2009].
(6) Microscopy-UK, 1995. Larva of a sea urchin. [Online] Available at: http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/indexmag.html?http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/artjul00/echino5.html [Accessed 06 23 2009].
(7) PICTOLIFE, n.d. Echinoderms- The Mediterranean. [Online] Available at: http://picto-life.com/echinodermes.php [Accessed 23 June 2009].
(8) Wirtz, P. & Debelius, H., 2003. Mediterranean and Atlantic Invertebrate Guide. Germany: ConchBooks.
