|
Pseudoboletia indiana
Pseudoboletia indiana, commonly known as the pebble collector urchin, is a species of echinoderms belonging to the family Taxopneustidae.[1] In Hawaii P. indiana is also known as hawa`e po`ohina.[2] DescriptionPseudoboletia indiana has a white round body with short spikes, variously colored white, pink, purple, or green at the ends.[3] Pseudoboletia indiana is on average around 5 in (130 mm) in diameter.[4] DistributionThe pebble collector urchin can be found in Hawaii, New Zealand, Easter Island, and Madagascar.[5] HabitatPseudoboletia indiana lives on the ocean floor, at up to 100 m (330 ft) in depth.[5] The urchin uses debris from the ocean, such as pebbles, broken pieces or coral, seaweed, to cover itself.[2] The urchin also provides protection to other smaller marine life like the miner’s urchin shrimp (Gnathophylloides mineri).[4] During the night, the urchin will abandon the pebbles and coral it uses as camouflage and will roam around.[6] References
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
