Tripneustes ventricosus

(Lamarck, 1816)

West Indian Sea Egg Urchin

Range: Western Atlantic Ocean: Florida, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and Bermuda to Brazil.

Size: 6 inches (15 cm)

Natural Environment: Inhabits reef rock and rubble areas covered in algae and grazes on algae night and day.

Aquarium Suitability: Not collected for the home aquarium trade.

Should it become available in the trade, aquarium husbandry would be similar to Tripneustes gratilla shown elsewhere in this section of the Species Library.

Taxonomy:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Echinodermata

Class: Echinoides

Order: Temnopleuroida

Family: Toxopneustidae

Genus: Tripneustes

FYI: Shown here for identification only.