Pseudoboletia indiana
Indian sea urchin
Similar Species
Same Genus
Distribution
Temperate Australasia, Tropical Indo-Pacific
Description
White sea urchin with purple tips to the primary spines and shell or rock fragments generally attached to the test surface. It is shaped like a flattened egg with the lower section of the test wider than the upper section. This species can be the dominant echinoid in localised areas; it is most common on broken bottom near the sand edge of the deeper New South Wales reefs.
Information
Max Size: 10 cm
Sea Temperature Range: 15.3-25.6°C
Depth: 0-100m
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: Infrequent (6.5% 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: Few (4 per transect)
Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.
Edit by: GJ Edgar. 2008. Australian Marine Life. New Holland, Sydney