A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

Overview

This sea urchin has a rounded test covered in closely spaced reddish spines, with small grasping pedicellariae and porous ambulacral plates. Colour and test height vary between habitats, so no single appearance is typical.

MarLIN places it in Echinidae and Camarodonta on northeastern Atlantic rocky bottoms. Historical captive observations describe four-armed planktonic larvae developing over 45–60 days; recruitment varies locally.

NRW transects documented the species at Skomer. The 2015 mean was 9.70 per 100 square metres, varying markedly among sites; this historical Welsh survey cannot describe the entire species.

Globular test with close-set reddish spinesGrasping pedicellariae and porous ambulacral platesColour and test height vary with habitatFour-armed planktonic echinopluteus larva
01

Origins & earliest records

MarLIN attributes the scientific name to Linnaeus, 1758. This dates naming, not evolutionary origin; original type material was not examined.

02

Evidence & interpretation

MarLIN species account (description, habitat, distribution, taxonomy) and NRW Evidence Report 158 (Burton, Lock, Newman and Jones 2016) for the Skomer survey.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

  1. 01

    Skomer Marine Conservation Zone Distribution and Abundance of Echinus esculentus and selected starfish species 2015

    Burton, Lock, Newman and Jones · 2016

    Selected bibliography; NRW Evidence Report 158, local survey data for Skomer.

  2. 02

    Edible sea urchin (Echinus esculentus)

    · 2008

    Selected bibliography; MarLIN institutional species account.

Family, evolution & connections

Taxonomic classification

A hierarchy of classified groups, not a chain of direct ancestors.

Source note: Order and family follow the MarLIN account; higher ranks were not established in the supplied sources.

  1. OrderCamarodonta
  2. FamilyEchinidae
  3. SpeciesEchinus esculentus

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

  1. Institutional species accountEdible sea urchin (Echinus esculentus)Research access: 2026-10-07
  2. Government survey reportSkomer Marine Conservation Zone Distribution and Abundance of Echinus esculentus and selected starfish species 2015Research access: 2026-10-07

Image credits

A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

NH·159 · RESEARCH EDITION 01Back to top ↑