Clypeaster japonicus

Clypeaster japonicus, the Japanese sea biscuit, is a species of sea urchin in the Family Clypeasteridae. This species was first scientifically described in 1885 by the German zoologist Ludwig Heinrich Philipp Döderlein.[1]

Clypeaster japonicus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Echinodermata
Class:
Echinoidea
Order:
Clypeasteroida
Family:
Clypeasteridae
Genus:
Clypeaster
Species:
C. japonicus
Binomial name
Clypeaster japonicus
Synonyms[1]
  • Clypeaster clypeus Döderlein, 1885
  • Clypeaster excelsior Döderlein, 1885
  • Plesianthus ogasawaraensis Yoshiwara, 1898)

Description

This is a large species with a strong test, growing to a maximum length of around 120 mm (5 in). In shape it is an elongated pentagon, the aboral (upper) surface slightly higher at the apex than at the margins. The length of the petaloid area amounts to two thirds or more of the total length of the test. The anterior petal is open distally while the two posterior, paired petals are closed distally. The oral (under) surface is fairly flat, but deeply concave around the mouth, with conspicuous, but short, indented food grooves. The anus is on the oral surface near the posterior margin. The primary spines are rather longer than the densely felted secondary spines. When alive, this species is a uniform brown colour apart from the petals, which are a darker brown. The bare test is grey or pale brown.[2]

Distribution

This sea biscuit is endemic to Japanese waters. Its range extends from northern Honshu southwards to southern Kyushu. Its depth range is from 2 to 50 m (7 to 164 ft).[2]

gollark: FSG law is *really* weird about some stuff.
gollark: Actually, legally speaking it's OCaml.
gollark: We implemented it.
gollark: Macron 3.
gollark: Ugh, `await irc.psend(&"MODE {ev.prefix} +o")` you.

References
  1. Kroh, Andreas (2018). "Clypeaster japonicus Döderlein, 1885". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  2. Schultz, Heinke A.G. (2017). Echinoidea: with bilateral symmetry. Irregularia. De Gruyter. pp. 49–51. ISBN 978-3-11-036853-6.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.