Sphaerechinus granularis is a
species of
sea urchin in the family
Toxopneustidae, commonly known as the violet sea urchin. Its range includes the Mediterranean Sea and the eastern Atlantic Ocean, from the
Channel Islands south to Cape Verde and the
Gulf of Guinea. It favours sheltered locations and lives on rocks covered with
seaweed or gravelly
substrates. It is usually found in the
neritic zone down to about thirty metres (100 ft) but occasionally down to a hundred metres (330 ft) in more exposed locations. It is also found in meadows of the
seagrassPosidonia oceanica. It grazes on
algae, especially encrusting
coralline algae, seagrass blades and their
epiphytic organisms and
detritus. This S. granularis sea urchin was photographed off the coast of
Madeira.Photograph credit:
Diego Delso
Sphaerechinus granularis is a
species of
sea urchin in the family
Toxopneustidae, commonly known as the violet sea urchin. Its range includes the Mediterranean Sea and the eastern Atlantic Ocean, from the
Channel Islands south to Cape Verde and the
Gulf of Guinea. It favours sheltered locations and lives on rocks covered with
seaweed or gravelly
substrates. It is usually found in the
neritic zone down to about thirty metres (100 ft) but occasionally down to a hundred metres (330 ft) in more exposed locations. It is also found in meadows of the
seagrassPosidonia oceanica. It grazes on
algae, especially encrusting
coralline algae, seagrass blades and their
epiphytic organisms and
detritus. This S. granularis sea urchin was photographed off the coast of
Madeira.Photograph credit:
Diego Delso