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© Joseph Dougherty. All rights reserved. Rocky intertidal zone.
© Joseph Dougherty. All rights reserved. Colobocentrotus atratus Linnaeus, 1758 Shingle Sea Urchin aka Helmet Sea Urchin, Lava Sea Urchin It is found on wave-swept intertidal shores in the Indo-West Pacific, particularly on the shores of Hawaii. Its dark coloration helps it blend well with the lava rock on which it is commonly found. In Hawaii it is known as "kaupali," which translates as "cliff-clinging." This urchin is a deep maroon colour and shaped like a domed limpet. It can grow as big as a soft ball but is usually much smaller. The upper surface is a mosaic of tiny polygonal plates formed from modified spines to form a smooth mosaic. This is fringed by a ring of large, flattened modified spines. On the underside there is another ring of smaller flattened spines and a large number of tube feet. This urchin is usually found on substrates fully exposed to waves and their associated abrasive effect, often in groups. It feeds on periwinkles, other urchins and coralline algae. In a test comparing shingle urchins to other species of urchin, it was found that their ability to withstand being washed away by moving water excelled. A combination of their shape, their flattened spines and particularly the strong adhesion of their tube feet made them three times as resistant as other species such as Echinometra. This enables them to live on inhospitable wave-battered shorelines.
© Joseph Dougherty. All rights reserved. Rocky intertidal zone.
© Joseph Dougherty. All rights reserved. Rocky intertidal zone.
© Joseph Dougherty. All rights reserved. Rocky intertidal zone.
© Joseph Dougherty. All rights reserved. Colobocentrotus atratus Linnaeus, 1758 Shingle Sea Urchin aka Helmet Sea Urchin, Lava Sea Urchin It is found on wave-swept intertidal shores in the Indo-West Pacific, particularly on the shores of Hawaii. Its dark coloration helps it blend well with the lava rock on which it is commonly found. In Hawaii it is known as "kaupali," which translates as "cliff-clinging." This urchin is a deep maroon colour and shaped like a domed limpet. It can grow as big as a soft ball but is usually much smaller. The upper surface is a mosaic of tiny polygonal plates formed from modified spines to form a smooth mosaic. This is fringed by a ring of large, flattened modified spines. On the underside there is another ring of smaller flattened spines and a large number of tube feet. This urchin is usually found on substrates fully exposed to waves and their associated abrasive effect, often in groups. It feeds on periwinkles, other urchins and coralline algae. In a test comparing shingle urchins to other species of urchin, it was found that their ability to withstand being washed away by moving water excelled. A combination of their shape, their flattened spines and particularly the strong adhesion of their tube feet made them three times as resistant as other species such as Echinometra. This enables them to live on inhospitable wave-battered shorelines.
© Joseph Dougherty. All rights reserved. Colobocentrotus atratus Linnaeus, 1758 Shingle Sea Urchin aka Helmet Sea Urchin, Lava Sea Urchin It is found on wave-swept intertidal shores in the Indo-West Pacific, particularly on the shores of Hawaii. Its dark coloration helps it blend well with the lava rock on which it is commonly found. In Hawaii it is known as "kaupali," which translates as "cliff-clinging." This urchin is a deep maroon colour and shaped like a domed limpet. It can grow as big as a soft ball but is usually much smaller. The upper surface is a mosaic of tiny polygonal plates formed from modified spines to form a smooth mosaic. This is fringed by a ring of large, flattened modified spines. On the underside there is another ring of smaller flattened spines and a large number of tube feet. This urchin is usually found on substrates fully exposed to waves and their associated abrasive effect, often in groups. It feeds on periwinkles, other urchins and coralline algae. In a test comparing shingle urchins to other species of urchin, it was found that their ability to withstand being washed away by moving water excelled. A combination of their shape, their flattened spines and particularly the strong adhesion of their tube feet made them three times as resistant as other species such as Echinometra. This enables them to live on inhospitable wave-battered shorelines.
© Joseph Dougherty. All rights reserved. Colobocentrotus atratus Linnaeus, 1758 Shingle Sea Urchin aka Helmet Sea Urchin, Lava Sea Urchin It is found on wave-swept intertidal shores in the Indo-West Pacific, particularly on the shores of Hawaii. Its dark coloration helps it blend well with the lava rock on which it is commonly found. In Hawaii it is known as "kaupali," which translates as "cliff-clinging." This urchin is a deep maroon colour and shaped like a domed limpet. It can grow as big as a soft ball but is usually much smaller. The upper surface is a mosaic of tiny polygonal plates formed from modified spines to form a smooth mosaic. This is fringed by a ring of large, flattened modified spines. On the underside there is another ring of smaller flattened spines and a large number of tube feet. This urchin is usually found on substrates fully exposed to waves and their associated abrasive effect, often in groups. It feeds on periwinkles, other urchins and coralline algae. In a test comparing shingle urchins to other species of urchin, it was found that their ability to withstand being washed away by moving water excelled. A combination of their shape, their flattened spines and particularly the strong adhesion of their tube feet made them three times as resistant as other species such as Echinometra. This enables them to live on inhospitable wave-battered shorelines.
© Joseph Dougherty. All rights reserved. Rocky intertidal zone.
© Joseph Dougherty. All rights reserved.

Rocky intertidal zone.
© Joseph Dougherty. All rights reserved. Rocky intertidal zone.
© Joseph Dougherty. All rights reserved.

Rocky intertidal zone.
See photo in original gallery.
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