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ALEXANDRE MEINESZ

Purple heart urchin

Distribution : Mediterranean · Atlantic Ocean

Rarely visible on dives, the Purple heart urchin spends its life beneath a few centimetres of sand. Its heart shape, purple shades and burrowing activity make it an inconspicuous but essential participant in soft seabeds, which it continually aerates and enriches.

Habitat of Purple heart urchin Habitat
Sand, Detrital bottom
Depth range of Purple heart urchin Depth
5-900 m
Biological group of Purple heart urchin Group
Ecological role of Purple heart urchin Role
Decomposer

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?

This sea urchin has a distinctive elongated, slightly flattened shape suggesting a heart. Unlike typical sea urchins, its mouth is towards the front and its anus towards the back. Its upper surface is domed while its underside is flatter. Its colour varies from red to purple. It has two types of spines: small, flexible, dense ones and longer, backward-pointing ones that facilitate movement through sand.

WHERE DOES IT LIVE?

It lives buried in sandy or debris-covered seabeds, often a few centimetres below the surface. It prefers calm areas where the sediment is loose enough for easy burrowing.

WHAT DOES IT EAT?

It feeds by swallowing sediment. It collects the organic particles and microorganisms within it, leaving the rest of the sand after digestion.

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Purple heart urchin

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Other species — Echinoderm

Royal sea cucumber Black sea cucumber Sea cucumber Brittle star Long-spined sea urchin White sea urchin Mediterranean Feather Star Basket star

Same habitat and depth

Sandy seabed species Detrital seabed species

Same ecological role and depth

Decomposer species

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