The porcupine sea urchin

porcupine sea urchin

Scientific name	Diadema setosum
Descriptor	Leske
Year of description	1778
IUCN category (World)	NE
Family	Diadematidae
Genus	Diadema

Introduction

Diadema setosum, commonly known as porcupine sea urchin, is a salt water echinoderm.

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Who is it?

Morphology

Size

6 - 9 cm
Longevity

5 year

Size

6 - 9 cm
Longevity

5 year

How to recognize the porcupine sea urchin ?

The porcupine sea urchin measures between 6 and 9 cm. This echinoderm is unicolore with a predominantly noir body.

Behaviour & Life cycle

diet

herbivorous
Sociability

living in a group or alone
territorial

No
Way of living

diurnal

The porcupine sea urchin is an echinoderm living in a group or alone. This species is herbivorous .

Although the porcupine sea urchin is non-territorial, it is sometimes aggressive towards other species.

Reproduction

Reproduction

ovipare qui pond en eau libre

Fertilization

External
Active sexual selection

No

The porcupine sea urchin is an echinoderm ovipare qui pond en eau libre.

Risks for humans

Venomous

No
Sting

Yes

Where to find it?

Origin

Persian Gulf Great Barrier Reef mer d'Oman Philippine Sea Sea of Japan Mediterranean Sea Red Sea South East Asian Seas Indonesian seas western Indian Ocean Western Tropical Pacific Ocean Oceania

Conservation status of populations (IUCN)

World : NE

Where to see this species?

What is its habitat?

Natural environment characteristics

Depth

0 - 70 m

Biotope presentation

The porcupine sea urchin is most often found at a depth between 0m and 70m. However, it is not impossible to find this species at other depths.

Species of the same biotope

red saddleback anemonefish Pomacentridae

To go further

Species of the same family

To read on the web

Sources & Contributions

Participation & Validation

The Fishipedia team and specialist contributors are committed to providing high-quality content. However, although the information comes from scientific sources or testimonials from specialists, the cards may contain inaccuracies.

Aurélien Calas

Translation

Translation done with the valuable contribution of our translators, who make this information available to a wider audience. We sincerely thank them for their commitment.