Sterechinus

Sterechinus is a genus of sea urchins in the family Echinidae. All living members of the genus are found in the waters around Antarctica but the first species described in the genus was a fossil and was found in Europe.

Sterechinus
Sterechinus neumayeri
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Echinodermata
Class:
Echinoidea
Order:
Echinoida
Family:
Echinidae
Genus:
Sterechinus

Koehler, 1901 [1]
Species
See text

Description

Members of the genus Sterechinus have compound ambulacral plates that are trigeminate (composed of three elements). These plates have a primary tubercle articulating with a spine on the middle element, a small secondary tubercle in the interambulacral groove on one side of it and 3 pairs of pores on the other. The tube feet are connected to these pores in the living animal and the pore pairs are arranged in a vertical arc. The sutures between the plates are deeply indented. The area of narrow plates around the mouth is small and the buccal notches are shallowly grooved.[2]

Species

The type species of this genus is Stirechinus scillae which was first described from a fossil by Pierre Desor in 1856. Stirechinus scillae lived from the Late Miocene to the Plio-Pleistocene and further fossils have since been found in France, Sicily and Malta. None of the fossilized urchins so far discovered had any apical plates.[2]

Since then, other members of the genus have been described, all from the waters around Antarctica. The World Register of Marine Species lists the following extant species in the genus:[1]

  • Sterechinus agassizii Mortensen, 1910
  • Sterechinus antarcticus Koehler, 1901
  • Sterechinus bernasconiae Larrain, 1975
  • Sterechinus dentifer Koehler, 1926
  • Sterechinus diadema (Studer, 1876)
  • Sterechinus neumayeri (Meissner, 1900)
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References
  1. Kroh, Andreas (2010). Kroh A, Mooi R (eds.). "Sterechinus Koehler, 1901". World Echinoidea Database. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  2. Stirechinus Desor, 1856 The Natural History Museum. Retrieved 2012-01-09.


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