Diadema antillarum: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the diadema antillarum lives – recorded in 25 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Diadema antillarum
Group	Starfish, sea urchins & relatives
Found in	25 countries
Continents	Europe, North America, South America
Class	Echinoderm
Order	Diadematoida
Family	Diadematidae

Where does the diadema antillarum live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the diadema antillarum in 25 countries and territories across Europe, North America and South America.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

What kind of animal is the diadema antillarum?

The diadema antillarum (Diadema antillarum) is an echinoderm in the order Diadematoida and the family Diadematidae, genus Diadema. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the diadema antillarum

Diadema antillarum, also known as the lime urchin, black sea urchin, or the long-spined sea urchin, is a species of sea urchin in the family Diadematidae.

This sea urchin is characterized by its exceptionally long black spines.

It is the most abundant and important herbivore on the coral reefs of the western Atlantic and Caribbean basin. When the population of these sea urchins is at a healthy level, they are the main grazers which prevent algae overgrowth of the reef.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Diadema antillarum (revision 1380713286), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q1999987 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).