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🧬 Biological Classification (Kingdom to Species)Diadema setosum

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Echinodermata

Class

Echinoidea

Order

Diadematoida

Family

Diadematidae

Genus

Diadema

Species

Diadema setosum

Echinoidea🌿 Herbivore

Long-spined sea urchin

Diadema setosum (Long-spined sea urchin · ガンガゼ)

🛡️ Conservation Status (IUCN Red List)NE (Not Evaluated)

Not Evaluated (NE) on the IUCN Red List yet.

Geological Era

Extant

Diet

Herbivore

Length · Height

6.7cm · No data

Mass · Top Speed

No data · No data

Habitat & Fossil Locality

Coral reefs, rocky bottoms, seagrass beds, and sandy-mud bottoms of the Indo-West Pacific, at depths of 1–70 m

💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed

💡 Its 67 mm test diameter is similar to the diameter of a tennis ball (about 6.7 cm) (Comparison).
💡 If pricked by its spines along the shores of Jeju Island, the wound swells and hurts for a long time (National List of Species of Korea).

Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.

#가시왕관성게#Diadema setosum

📖 1. Overview

The long-spined sea urchin is a sea urchin living on tropical coral reefs of the Indo-West Pacific, and in Korea it can be seen off Jeju Island. Its long spines are venomous.

🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology

Its test is hemispherical and blackish-purple, about 67 mm in diameter, and its primary spines are very long, slender, and hollow. The spines are venomous, and there is a bright orange ring around the anus.

🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior

During the day it hides in rock crevices with only its spines sticking out, and at night it grazes on algae on rocks, keeping algal growth in check. It also lives on coral reefs, seagrass beds, and sandy-mud bottoms.

🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea

It is listed in the National List of Species of Korea and in Korea is distributed off Jeju Island. If pricked by its large spines, the stung area swells and aches for a long time.