Chris Grossman, USA
Info
Lovenia cordiformis A. Agassiz, 1872
Heart urchins are rarely seen because they live buried in the sand in the seabed. Their bodies are covered with hair-like fine, curved spines that create a cavity in the sediment, allowing it to fill with water.
Their body is oval. The mouth is located at one end of the animal and the anus at the other. Therefore, unlike most other sea urchins, heart urchins are bilaterally symmetrical.
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-shaped sea urchins have a thin shell. The upper surface is convex.
Lovenia cordiformis lives burrowed in soft bottoms and is found from the low intertidal zone to depths of 200 meters. The larvae live planktonically for several months until they sink to the bottom with their little feet, attach and develop into young sea urchins.
The color of the sea urchin is pink to rose. Lovenia cordiformis feeds mainly on detritus.
Heart urchins are rarely seen because they live buried in the sand in the seabed. Their bodies are covered with hair-like fine, curved spines that create a cavity in the sediment, allowing it to fill with water.
Their body is oval. The mouth is located at one end of the animal and the anus at the other. Therefore, unlike most other sea urchins, heart urchins are bilaterally symmetrical.
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-shaped sea urchins have a thin shell. The upper surface is convex.
Lovenia cordiformis lives burrowed in soft bottoms and is found from the low intertidal zone to depths of 200 meters. The larvae live planktonically for several months until they sink to the bottom with their little feet, attach and develop into young sea urchins.
The color of the sea urchin is pink to rose. Lovenia cordiformis feeds mainly on detritus.
