📸 PhotoPhoto: Valeriia Khabibulina · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Source
Mesocentrotus nudus
Mesocentrotus nudus (Mesocentrotus nudus · Mesocentrotus nudus)
Not Evaluated (NE) on the IUCN Red List yet.
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 Its largest test size of 100 mm is slightly larger than the long side of a credit card (about 86 mm) (Comparison).
- 💡 Because its spines are venomous, it should not be touched with bare hands on coastal reefs (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.
📖 1. Overview
Mesocentrotus nudus is a sea urchin widely distributed in temperate seas, and in Korea it is found in rocky reef areas from the lower intertidal zone to a depth of 180 m.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
Its test is hemispherical, 20–100 mm in length, and purplish-brown to blackish-purple when alive. Its spines are dark purple with pale yellowish-green or green bands and are venomous.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
It is a species widely living in temperate waters, inhabiting rocky reef areas. Its spines are venomous.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
It is listed on the National List of Species of Korea and is found in rocky reef areas from the lower intertidal zone down to 180 m deep.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List: not evaluated (NE) — cross-checked with the Wikidata conservation-status entry
- • marinespecies.org — aphia.php
- • 국가생물종목록(국립생물자원관) ktsn 120000225583 — https://species.nibr.go.kr/home/mainHome.do?cont_link=009&subMenu=009002&contCd=009002&ktsn=120000225583
- • wikidata.org — Q61468689
- • species.nibr.go.kr — mainHome.do
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — Harold N Eyster · CC BY 3.0 (Related taxon silhouette — Strongylocentrotus purpuratus)
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.