Class Echinoidea

Echinoids They

are free moving echinoderms

are commonly known as sea urchins, heart urchins and sand dollars. are approximately 940 species of echinoids.

There

 More with

or less globular or disc shaped,

no arms; skeleton or test with closely fitting

compact

plates;
movable

spines;

 ambulacral tube

grooves closed;

feet with suckers; present

Pedicellariae

REGULAR ECHINOIDS (Sea urchins)

Body

is more o r less spherical in shape. with relatively long movable spines.

Armed

Colored

brown, black, purple, green, white and red. Few are multicolored (Diadema antillarum)

Diadema antillarum

Sea urchin calcareous shell: aboral and oral view

IRREGULAR ECHINOIDS (heart urchins and sand dollars)

All

are adapted for burrowing in sand much smaller and more numerous spines

Have

 Heart

urchins (spatangoids) are more or less oval in shape surface is flattened surface is convex

Oral

Aboral

 Podia

are degenerate or absent around the circumference of the body. certain specialized spines ( Clavules)

Have

 Sand

dollars (clypeastroids) body are greatly flattened. a circular circumference

Displays

Periproct

is venral and ocated in the posterior interambulacrum.

 Keyhole

sand dollars contain elongated notches (opening known as lunules ) surface bears conspicuous petaloids

Aboral No

phyllodes

 Spheridia

and spination are similar to heart

urchin
No

clavalus pedicellariae are present.

Poison

 Flagellated

epidermis covers the outer surface, including spines has nervous layer and connective tissue dermis that contains the skeleton are arrange in rows (oral and aboral)

beneath

Plates

Close up of the Madreporite of an sea star

 Spines Has

and podia are used for movement

burrowing behavior

Irregular

echinoids are adapted for life of burrowing in sand.

 Sea

urchins feed on all types of organic material, plant or animal, living or dead. urchins living in a great depths are detritus feeders. highly developed chewing apparatus Aristotle lantern

Sea

Have

large principal coelom of minor sub compartments fluids is the principal circulatory

Number

Coelomic

radium
A In

hemal system is present

regular echinoids the five parts of peristomial gills is for gas exchange

 In

heart urchins, nerve ring is located at the peristome. numerous sensory cells in the epithelium, particularly on the spines, pedicellariae and podia, composed the major part.

The

 Dioecious Display

no sexual dimorphism takes place in sea water

Fertilization Brooding

Unfertilized egg

Adult

Fertilized egg

Life Cycle Stages of S. purpuratus

Juvenile

Embryo

Metamorphosis

Larval