Description: A regular sea urchin with a somewhat flattened test and green overall colour. The tips of the spines are violet. The tube-feet are arranged in arcs of 3, visible as 3 pairs of pores corresponding with each ambulacral plate on the denuded test. Typically 5cm. in diameter.

Habitat: A typical species of bouldery sheltered shores, occasionally found sublittorally in shallow water in sheltered or slightly brackish sites such as sea lochs. Common in the circalittoral on exposed shores in Shetland.

Distribution: Found all round the British Isles north to Scandinavia and south to Morocco but absent from the Mediterranean.

Similar Species: Could be confused with Paracentrotus lividus or Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis.

Key Identification Features:

• Green coloration, violet-tipped spines.
• Spines fine and short.
• Ambulacral plates with 3 pore-pairs each.

Distribution Map from NBN: Psammechinus miliaris at National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.

iNaturalist: Psammechinus miliaris at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

GBIF data for Psammechinus miliaris

WoRMS: Psammechinus miliaris at World Register of Marine Species. Accepted name: Psammechinus miliaris (P.L.S. Müller, 1771). AphiaID: 124319.

Classification: Biota; Animalia; Echinodermata; Echinozoa; Echinoidea; Euechinoidea; Carinacea; Echinacea; Camarodonta; Echinidea; Parechinidae; Psammechinus