European edible sea urchin
Echinus esculentus Linnaeus, 1758
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Echinus esculentus Linnaeus, 1758
- Name authority
- Linnaeus, 1758
- Common name
- European edible sea urchin
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Echinodermata
- Class
- Echinoidea
- Family
- Echinidae
- Genus
- Echinus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumEchinodermata
- subphylumEchinozoa
- classEchinoidea Schumacher, 1817
- subclassEuechinoidea Bronn, 1860
- infraclassCarinacea Kroh & Smith, 2010
- subterclassEchinacea Claus, 1876
- infraorderEchinidea Kroh & Smith, 2010
- familyEchinidae Gray, 1825
- genusEchinus Linnaeus, 1758
- speciesEchinus esculentus Linnaeus, 1758
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Echinus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Echinus coglesi (Cotteau, 1880) | EchinidaeEchinodermata | Accepted speciesRecorded extinct |
| Echinus dixoni Forbes, 1852 | EchinidaeEchinodermata | Accepted speciesRecorded extinct |
| Echinus etheridgei A. Bell, 1898 | EchinidaeEchinodermata | Accepted speciesRecorded extinct |
| Echinus melo Lamarck, 1816 | EchinidaeEchinodermata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Echinus paucimiliaris Gregory, 1891 | EchinidaeEchinodermata | Accepted speciesRecorded extinct |
| Echinus woodi Desor, 1855 | EchinidaeEchinodermata | Accepted speciesRecorded extinct |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Echinus globiformis Lamarck, 1816 Lamarck, 1816 | synonym |
| Echinus pseudo-melo Blainville, 1825 Blainville, 1825 | synonym |
| Echinus quinquangulosus | synonym |
| Echinus quinqueangulatus Blainville, 1825 Blainville, 1825 | synonym |
| Echinus quinqueangulosus | synonym |
| Echinus aurantiacus | synonym |
| Echinus pseudomelo Blainville, 1825 Blainville, 1825 | synonym |
| Echinus schwartzii Nilsson, 1817 Nilsson, 1817 | synonym |
| Cidaris hemisphaerica Leske, 1778 Leske, 1778 | synonym |
| Echinus auranticus Blainville, 1825 Blainville, 1825 | synonym |
| Echinus sphaera O.F. Müller, 1776 O.F. Müller, 1776 | synonym |
| Echinus violaceus Blainville, 1825 Blainville, 1825 | synonym |
| Sphaerechinus esculentus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Linnaeus, 1758) | synonym |
| Echinus swartzii Nilsson & Holst, 1817 Nilsson & Holst, 1817 | synonym |
| Echinus eſculentus Linnaeus, 1758 Linnaeus, 1758 | synonym |
| Cidaris esculenta (Linnaeus, 1758) (Linnaeus, 1758) | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Linnaeus, C. (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. Laurentii Salvii. Holmiae [Stockholm]. [iii] + 824 pp. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.542 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:38LGL. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.