Echinoidea | 
Camarodonta | 
Echinidae
			
			
			
				Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range				
				
					Ecology				
				
			
			
				Benthic; depth range 3 - 1280 m (Ref. 85345).  Temperate; 73°N -   59°S, 72°W -   173°W			
			
			
				
			
			
			
				Southwest Pacific, Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.  Temperate and subtropical.
			
			
			
			
			
				Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
			
			
				Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm			
			
			
						
			
			
			
			
				
					Circalittoral on  sandy detrital bottom mixed with ooze (Ref. 106375).  Occurs on organic detritus (Ref. 106379) and sandy silt substrata (Ref. 106379).  Also on coralligenous habitat  (Ref. 105982).  Prefers to feed on brown algae Laminaria saccharina encrusted with the bryozoan Membranipora sp. based on experiment (Ref. 96310).				
			
			
			
			
			
				Life cycle and mating behavior				
					Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae				
			
			
				
					Members of the class Echinoidea are gonochoric.  Fertilization is external.  Brooding is common, eggs are held either on the peristome, around the periproct or deep into the concavities on the petaloids.  Life cycle:  Embryos develop into planktotrophic larvae (echinoplateus) and live for several months before they sink to the bottom using their tube feet to adhere on the ground where they metamorphose into young urchins.				
			
			
			
			
			
				Jennings, S., J. Lancaster, A. Woolmer and J. Cotter 1999 Distribution, diversity and abundance of epibenthic fauna in the North Sea. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the UK 79:385-399. (Ref. 3123)
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
					
						IUCN Red List Status    
						 (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-1)
					
					
					
				
			
			
			
			
				CITES status   (Ref. 108899)
			
			
				
					Not Evaluated				
			
			
			
			
			
			
				
					Not Evaluated				
			
			
			
			
			
				Threat to humans  
			
			
				
									
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
				Human uses  
			
			
							
			
			
				 | FishSource | 			
			
			
			
			
			
Tools
			
			
			
			
				
					More information				
				
					 Trophic EcologyFood items (preys)
Diet composition
Food consumption
Predators
  Population dynamicsGrowthMax. ages / sizesLength-weight rel.Length-length rel.Length-frequenciesMass conversionAbundance   Life cycleReproductionMaturityFecunditySpawningEggsEgg developmentLarvae   PhysiologyOxygen consumption
  Human RelatedStamps, coins, misc.
  				 
			 
			
			
			
				Internet sources
			
			
			
			
			
				Estimates based on models
			
			
			
									
						Preferred temperature  					
				 (Ref. 
115969): 3.4 - 14.1, mean 7.6 (based on 765 cells).			
 
			
			
			
			
			
						
						
						
			
									
						Price category  					
					
					Unknown.