Gracilechinus is a genus of sea urchins in the family Echinidae.
| Gracilechinus | |
|---|---|
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| Gracilechinus acutus at the Biodiversarium of the Observatoire océanologique de Banyuls-sur-Mer | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Echinodermata |
| Class: | Echinoidea |
| Order: | Camarodonta |
| Family: | Echinidae |
| Genus: | Gracilechinus Fell & Pawson, 1966 |
| Species | |
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See text | |
Description and characteristics
editThe species in this genus are regular sea urchins, with a rounded test, bearing the anus at the top and the mouth at the bottom. They are extremely similar to species in the genus Echinus, but are differentiated by a primary tubercle on every interambulacral plate.[1]
Most species in this genus are abyssal, and live in the North Atlantic or close cold seas.
Species
editSpecies in this genus include:[2]
| Image | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|
| |
Gracilechinus acutus (Lamarck, 1816) | Europe (Mediterranean and Atlantic) |
| Gracilechinus affinis (Mortensen, 1903) | center Atlantic | |
| Gracilechinus alexandri (Döderlein & Koren, 1883) | Northern Atlantic | |
| Gracilechinus atlanticus (Mortensen, 1903) | Atlantic | |
| Gracilechinus elegans (Düben & Koren, 1844) | North-east Atlantic | |
 |
Gracilechinus gracilis (Agassiz, 1869) | Caribbean |
 |
Gracilechinus lucidus (Döderlein, 1885) | North-west Pacific |
| Gracilechinus stenoporus (Mortensen, 1942) | South Africa |
References
edit- ^ "Gracilechinus". Echinoid Directory.
- ^ Andreas Kroh (2015), Gracilechinus in Kroh, A. & Mooi, R. (2015), World Echinoidea Database.