Slate Pencil Urchin

Description:

is a cidaroid sea urchin that inhabits littoral regions of the Atlantic Ocean. As a member of the basal echinoid order Cidaroida, its morphological, developmental and molecular genetic characteristics make it a phylogenetically interesting species.[1]

Habitat:

From the United States to Brazil on the west to Mauritania to Gabon on the east, the slate pencil urchin can be found on both sides of the Atlantic, at the mid-Atlantic ridge and throughout the Caribbean.[5] On the western side of the Atlantic, the slate pencil urchin has been found as far north as Cape Hatteras, North Carolina[6] and as far south as Rio de Janeiro.[7] In the Gulf of Mexico, populations have been reported at Alacran Reef, Campeche Bank.

Notes:

Reproduction in E. tribuloides seems to be sensitive to both seasonal cycles and the lunar cycle. In the Florida Keys, E. tribuloides was found to obtain peak gravidity in the late summer and early fall.[5] Populations in Panama, however, were found to be gravid in the spring, summer and fall, with peak gravidity occurring around the full moon.