Red sea urchin

Common names: Red sea urchin, edible sea urchin.

Scientific name: Loxechinus albus.

Size: With its spines it can reach about 15 cm.

Where does it live?: This marine invertebrate inhabits from northern Peru to Cape Horn, in the extreme south of Chile. It is found from intertidal pools to depths of more than 100 meters.

Favorite sites: They preferably inhabit hard bottoms forming aggregations or shoals. This gregarious behavior (forming groups or communities) allows it to protect itself from predators such as starfish and also to feed on algae by browsing the substratum.

Diet: It is herbivorous and feeds on a variety of algae, which is why it is considered a generalist species. In the intertidal and shallow subtidal ecosystems, the red sea urchin is one of the main browsers, including in its diet species such as the green algae Ulva spp. and the brown algae Lessonia spp.

Curious fact: It is an benthic echinoderm (a word that comes from the Greek Echinodermata: Echino, “spines”; and Derma, “Dermis”) has an external skeleton divided into equal and symmetrical parts joined together, forming a shell with movable spines.

Conservation status: It has not been evaluated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). As it is one of the most exploited benthic species, efforts have been made to develop their cultivation and so today, repopulation of red sea urchins is being sought along the coast, where they are now scarce.