Pink Sea Urchin
Scientific name: Holopneustes pycnotilus
Click to enlarge image
Pink Sea Urchins, Holopneustes pycnotilus
Image: Dr Isobel Bennett
© Australian Museum
© Australian Museum
Fast Facts
-
Classification
- Genus
- Holopneustes
- Species
- pycnotilus
- Class
- Echinoidea
- Phylum
- Echinodermata
- Kingdom
- Animalia
-
- Size Range
- 16 cm
Introduction
This small delicate-looking urchin lives among kelp and often wraps itself in the fronds for protection.
Identification
The Pink Sea Urchin's tube feet are transparent and the test (body) and spines are pink-brown.
Habitat
Pink Sea Urchins live on intertidal rocky shores and in coastal waters to a depth of 75 m.
Distribution
Pink Sea Urchins are found in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania.
Distribution data sourced from the Atlas of Living Australia
Feeding and diet
The Pink Sea Urchin is a scavenger and feeds on a variety of plants and dead animals.
Other behaviours and adaptations
Commonly found washed up onto beaches or in the bottom of rock pools after storms, parts of the Pink Sea Urchin's test ('skeleton') can sometimes be mistaken for shell fragments.
