The heart urchins or Spatangoida are an
order of
sea urchins.
Their body is a somewhat elongated oval in form, and is distinguished by the mouth being placed towards one end of the animal, and the anus towards the other. As a result, heart urchins, unlike most other sea urchins, are bilaterally symmetrical, and have a distinct anterior surface. The presence and position of the mouth and anus typically give members of this group the distinct "heart" shape from which they get their name.
Heart urchins have no feeding lantern, and often have petaloids sunk into grooves. They are a relatively diverse order, with a number of varying species.
Taxonomy
According to
World Register of Marine Species
The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive list of names of marine organisms.
Content
The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scientific specialis ...
:
* suborder
Brissidina Stockley, Smith, Littlewood, Lessios & MacKenzie-Dodds, 2005
** family
Asterostomatidae Pictet, 1857
** family
Brissidae Gray, 1855
** family
Palaeotropidae Lambert, 1896
** super-family
Spatangidea Fischer, 1966
*** family
Eupatagidae Lambert, 1905
*** family
Eurypatagidae Kroh, 2007
*** family
Loveniidae Lambert, 1905
*** family
Macropneustidae Lambert, 1905
*** family
Maretiidae Lambert, 1905
*** family
Megapneustidae Fourtau, 1905 †
*** family
Spatangidae Gray, 1825
* family
Hemiasteridae H. L. Clark, 1917
* suborder
Micrasterina Fischer, 1966
** family
Aeropsidae Lambert, 1896
** family
Micrasteridae Lambert, 1920a
* family
Palaeostomatidae Lovén, 1868
* suborder
Paleopneustina Markov & Solovjev, 2001
** superfamily
Paleopneustoidea A. Agassiz, 1904
*** family
Paleopneustidae A. Agassiz, 1904
*** family
Pericosmidae Lambert, 1905
** family
Prenasteridae Lambert, 1905
** family
Schizasteridae
Schizasteridae is a family of echinoderms belonging to the order Spatangoida.
Genera:
* ''Abatus'' Troschel, 1851
* '' Aceste'' Thomson, 1877
* ''Agassizia'' Agassiz & Desor, 1847
* '' Aguayoaster'' Sanchez Roig, 1952
* '' Aliaster'' Valdinu ...
Lambert, 1905
* family
Somaliasteridae Wagner & Durham, 1966a †
* family
Toxasteridae
''Toxasteridae'' is an extinct family of sea urchins.
These slow-moving shallow infaunal deposit feeder-detritivores lived during the Cretaceous period, from 145.5 to 61.7 Ma.
Genera
*''Adytaster''
*''Aphelaster''
*''Douvillaster''
*''Enallopn ...
Lambert, 1920a †
Image:Brissus latecarinatus.jpg , '' Brissus latecarinatus'' ( Brissidae)
Image:Eupatagus mooreanus fossil heart urchin (Eocene; Florida, USA) 1 (16765728703).jpg, '' Eupatagus mooreanus'' ( Eupatagidae)
Image:Echinocardium_cordatum.jpg, ''Echinocardium cordatum
''Echinocardium cordatum'', also known as the common heart urchin or the sea potato, is a sea urchin in the family (biology), family Loveniidae. It is found in sub-tidal regions in the NE Atlantic. Other un-named species have been identified as t ...
'' ( Loveniidae)
Image:Phrissocystis.jpg, '' Phrissocystis sp.'' ( Macropneustidae)
Image:Tiny maretia heart urchin (Maretia planulata).jpg , '' Maretia planulata'' ( Maretiidae)
Image:Spatangus purpureus.jpg, '' Spatangus purpureus'' ( Spatangidae)
Image:Palhemiastercomanchei.jpg, Fossil of '' Palhemiaster comanchei'' ( Hemiasteridae)
Image:Oliver2012 fig5 Aeropsis rostrata (Wyville Thomson, 1877) with Kelliola symmetros (Jeffreys, 1876).png, '' Aeropsis rostrata'' ( Aeropsidae)
Image:Micraster leskei MHNT Turonien Puys 76.jpg, Fossil of '' Micraster leskei'' ( Micrasteridae)
Image:Prymnaster investigatoris dPNG12 2718.JPG, '' Prymnaster investigatoris'' (Schizasteridae
Schizasteridae is a family of echinoderms belonging to the order Spatangoida.
Genera:
* ''Abatus'' Troschel, 1851
* '' Aceste'' Thomson, 1877
* ''Agassizia'' Agassiz & Desor, 1847
* '' Aguayoaster'' Sanchez Roig, 1952
* '' Aliaster'' Valdinu ...
)
Image:Heteraster oblongus.3 - Cretacico inferior.JPG, Fossil of '' Heteraster oblongus'' (Toxasteridae
''Toxasteridae'' is an extinct family of sea urchins.
These slow-moving shallow infaunal deposit feeder-detritivores lived during the Cretaceous period, from 145.5 to 61.7 Ma.
Genera
*''Adytaster''
*''Aphelaster''
*''Douvillaster''
*''Enallopn ...
)
See also
* ''
Abatus agassizii
''Abatus agassizii'' is a species of sea urchin of the family Schizasteridae. Their armour is covered with spines. It is in the genus ''Abatus'' and lives in the sea. ''Abatus agassizii'' was first scientifically described in 1889 by Georg Pfef ...
''
* ''
Meoma ventricosa''
References
*
*
Extant Early Cretaceous first appearances
{{echinoidea-stub