Loxechinus albus

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Loxechinus albus
Picture of a Chilean sea urchin and a Picoroco
Picture of a Chilean sea urchin and a Picoroco
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Echinodermata
Subphylum: Eleutherozoa
Superclass: Cryptosyringida
Class: Echinoidea
Subclass: Euechinoidea
Superorder: Echinacia
Order: Echinoida
Family: Echinidae
Genus: Loxechinus
Species: L. albus
Binomial name
Loxechinus albus
Molina, 1782

Loxechinus albus or Chilean sea urchin is an echinoderm of the family Echinidae, native to the coastes of Chile and Peru. It is found shallowly buried in fine sand, and muddy sand, beaches at and below low tide level.

Loxechinus albus is a circular sea urchin densely covered in small spines. The spawning period varies along the Chilean coast Spawning period occurs later in the year as latitude increases; at 23° S it occurs in June, at 45° S (Chiloé) it occurs en November-December. The populations inhabiting the Magellan Region ( 53° S) are an exeption since their spawning period lasts from July to September.

Their maximum width is up to 100 mm.

[edit] Sources

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