Sea Urchins Codexery

Salmacis (echinoderm)

A genus of Indo-Pacific sea urchins with hemispherical tests and sharp spines.

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Salmacis (echinoderm)

Ria Tan from singapore · via Wikipedia: Salmacis (echinoderm) · CC BY-SA 2.0

Members of this genus are found primarily in tropical and subtropical Indo-Pacific waters, inhabiting seagrass meadows, sandy substrates, and coral reefs from intertidal zones to 90 meters depth.[1] The family Temnopleuridae includes the sea urchin genus known as Salmacis.[1]

Scientific classification

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumEchinodermata
  3. ClassEchinoidea
  4. OrderCamarodonta
  5. FamilyTemnopleuridae
  6. GenusSalmacis

Named by L.Agassiz, 1841

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Salmacis (echinoderm) (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Quick Facts

Type species
Salmacis bicolor

Facts from the source article.

Key facts and history

According to the wildsingapore account, species recorded for Singapore include Salmacis sphaeroides, Salmacis virgulata, and Salmacis bicolor.[2] In 1841, Louis Agassiz provided the first formal description of the genus Salmacis, designating Salmacis bicolor as the type species.[3] Salmacis urchins possess tests that are hemispherical, globular, or subconical in shape, and these tests are covered with short, thick, sharp spines and pedicellariae.[3][4] A fivefold organization radiating from a central axis gives these animals pentaradial symmetry.[4]

As omnivorous scavengers and detritus feeders, Salmacis urchins eat algae and soft-bodied organisms such as sea pens and jellyfish.[5] These urchins have separate male and female sexes (dioecious) and rely on external fertilization for reproduction.[6]

What the cited sources add

The wildsingapore account describes that Salmacis sphaeroides has shorter spines that are mostly white and banded with green or maroon.[2] The same source states that Salmacis virgulata has shorter spines that are all maroon and not banded.[2] The wildsingapore account also reports that Salmacis bicolor has longer spines banded white and maroon.[2] P. Satheeshkumar's 2011 paper documents the initial discovery of Salmacis virgulata along the Pondicherry Coast, India.[2]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Salmacis (echinoderm)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Salmacis L.Agassiz, 1841", www.gbif.org; Choo MS, Ying LSM, Lee SHR, Todd PA, Teo SL-M & Neo ML, "A rapid assessment of the population structure of the short-spined white sea urchin, Salmacis sphaeroides (Linnaeus, 1758), on Singapore's shores", Nature in Singa; Rahman, "Embryonic, larval, and early juvenile development of the tropical sea urchin, Salmacis sphaeroides (Echinodermata: Echinoidea)", TheScientificWorldJournal, 2012 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. "Salmacis urchins (Salmacis)", www.wildsingapore.com. facts only, no text reused. wildsingapore.com
  3. Wikipedia, "Salmacis (echinoderm)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Audouin, Jean Victor, "Annales des sciences naturelles. Zoologie", Crochard, 1846, p. 358 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Salmacis (echinoderm)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Rahman, "Embryonic, larval, and early juvenile development of the tropical sea urchin, Salmacis sphaeroides (Echinodermata: Echinoidea)", TheScientificWorldJournal, 2012; "Salmacis L. Agassiz 1841 articles - Encyclopedia of Life", 2024-12-08; Audouin, Jean Victor, "Annales des sciences naturelles. Zoologie", Crochard, 1846, p. 358; Audouin, Jean Victor, "Annales des sciences naturelles. Zoologie", Crochard, 1846, p. 358; Audouin, Jean Victor, "Annales des sciences naturelles. Zoologie", Crochard, 1846, p. 358 (original not read by en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Salmacis (echinoderm)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Schoppe, "Echinoderms of the Philippines: a guide to common shallow water; sea stars, brittle stars, sea urchins, sea cucumbers and feather stars", Times Editions, 2000 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Salmacis (echinoderm)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Salmacis bicolor", www.sealifebase.se; "Sea urchin", Wikipedia, 2025-03-26 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Salmacis (echinoderm) (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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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.

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