Diadematidae
Last updated
Frédéric Ducarme · via Wikipedia: Diadematidae · CC BY-SA 4.0
The Diadematidae are a family of sea urchins. Their body shells can be either stiff or bendable, and they have long, hollow spines. Like other sea urchins, they can detect touch, light, and chemicals, but they also have eye spots, which sets them apart from other urchins. This allows them to track a threat and aim their spines at it.
Scientific classification
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumEchinodermata
- ClassEchinoidea
- OrderDiadematoida
- FamilyDiadematidae
Named by Gray, 1855
Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Diadematidae (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Quick Facts
- Test type
- rigid or flexible
- Spine type
- long and hollow
- Senses
- sensitive to touch
- light
- and chemicals; have eyes (eye spots)
- Behavior
- can follow a threat with their spines
Facts from the source article.
Background
The Diadematidae family includes several genera, such as Astropyga, Centrostephanus, Chaetodiadema, Diadema, Echinodiadema, Echinothrix, Eodiadema, Eremopyga, Goniodiadema, Kamptosoma, Palaeodiadema, and Pedinothuria. Numerous extant species, including Astropyga radiata, Diadema setosum, and Echinothrix calamaris, as well as fossil taxa like Centrostephanus fragile from the Santonian, Maastrichtian, and Danian periods, and Palaeodiadema from the same intervals. Eodiadema is noted from the Lower Jurassic, and Pedinothuria cidaroides from the Callovian and Oxfordian. The family is notable for having eyes (eye spots), a feature that distinguishes them from other sea urchins, allowing them to visually track threats and orient their spines accordingly.
More in Sea Urchins
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Diadematidae (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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