Asthenosoma varium
| Asthenosoma varium (Fire Urchin) | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Echinodermata |
| Class: | Echinoidea |
| Subclass: | Euechinoidea |
| Superorder: | Diadematacea |
| Order: | Echinothurioida |
| Family: | Echinothuriidae |
| Genus: | Asthenosoma |
| Species: | A. varium |
| Binomial name | |
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Asthenosoma varium (Grube 1868) |
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Asthenosoma varium is a sea urchin (an echinoderm, a member of the phylum that also includes star fish). Growing up to 22 cm (8.7 in) in diameter, it lives on sand and rubble sea bottoms in the Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea to Australia and Southern Japan. Its venom tipped spines, with distinctive globular swellings below the tip, can inflict a painful sting if handled; the pain lasts as long as several hours. This capacity, perhaps coupled with its reddish-brown color, has given it the common name Fire Urchin.
It plays host to the commensal shrimp Periclemenes colemani and the zebra crab, Zebrida adamsii.
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Wikipedia