Sea-urchin
Average size: 5 cm (diameter)
Maximum size: 8 cm (diameter)
The “female urchin”, as it is usually called in the Amalfi Coast, is a echinoderm with globular body. The internal organs are enclosed in a hard testcomposed of fused plates of calcium carbonate covered by a thin dermis and epidermis. It is a benthic species, coastal and abundant on rocky bottoms at a depth of 10-15 meters, but it can even reach 80 meters. It feeds on alga and small organisms. Scuba divers usually are the one who catch sea urchins.
Photo gallery
Notes
Roberto Sandulli, “Dentro al mare della Costa d'Amalfi" guida alla fauna marina della Costiera Amalfitana, Ecostiera edizioni, anno 1999