Lytechinus variegatus
Green sea urchin | Carolinus Variegated Urchin | Variegated Urchin
Similar Species
Distribution
Tropical Atlantic/Caribbean
Description
Variable coloured spines, and white pedicellaria (tentacle-like structures between spines). These white pedicellaria distinguish if from the similar Lytechinus williamsi (Jewel Urchin) which has purple pedicellaria. The spines radiate in a spoke like pattern from the centre of the shell in more or less dense wedges.
Information
Max Size: 11 cm
Sea Temperature Range: 27-29.6°C
Depth: 0-50m
Habitat Generalization Index: N/A
Also referred to as the SGI (Species Generalisation Index), this describes the habitat niche breadth of the species. Species with values less than 15 are found in a relatively narrow range of reef habitat types (specialists), while those over 25 may be found on most hard substrates within their range (generalists). Learn more here.
Conservation and Rarity
IUCN Status: Not Evaluated
Occurrence: Frequent (12.9% of sites)
Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed
Abundance: Solitary (1 per transect)
Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.
Edit by: Joe Shields