May I introduce what is possibly one of the strangest sea urchins alive:
UPDATED March 2013- New Video!
Dermechinus is a member of the "archetypical" family of sea urchins-the Echinidae, which includes familiar members such as Echinus and the Antarctic Sterechinus, with which it shares a sister taxon relationship (see SICB abstract by N. cox and R. Mooi!)
These "cactus urchins" live in the Southern Hemisphere, in a subantarctic band-Chile, New Zealand, off Australia and so forth. And of course, they live in the deep-sea!!
1. Dermechinus has a test height that is THREE times its diameter!
You may have noticed how "high" the aspect is for these strange things. Smaller individuals start out more "globe-like" but larger ones become more cucumber-like. Its unclear why the strange body shape is the way it is...
In addition to the strange body size, the Aristotle's lantern (jaw structure) and oral region (the peristome) are particularly small. But its not clear exactly why....
2. They have numerous long, slender and shiny primary spines.
The name itself describes this feature: Echinus for "sea urchin" and Dermos for skin...described by the species horridus as "horrible" (so translates as: horrible skin sea urchin).
Dermechinus' secondary spines (i.e., the smaller more numerous ones closer to the body) are found with great abundance. These structures evoke the same questions...
3. Are they they Suspension-Feeding Sea Urchins???
One interpretation of the strange morphology was made by F. Julian Fell-son of the famous echinoderm biologist, F. B. Fell.
Dermechinus is the ONLY suspension feeding sea urchin based on these reasons:
- Posture is similar to sea cucumbers feeding.
- Long primary spines are perpendicular to the body forming vertical combs.
- Numerous small fur-like secondary spines would be "well-suited to the entrapment of fine suspended particles and the high tests would present a large area to the prevailing currents"
- The tiny jaw and oral region would be "adequate for a diet consisting mostly of fine particulates transpoted to the mouth by the secondary spines+ciliary currents
What do YOU think?
A trick (untested hypothesis) or treat (making it the ONLY filter feeding sea urchin!!)??