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The Echinoid Directory

Paracentrotus Mortensen, 1903, p. 124

[=Microcordyla Zirpulo, 1927; type species Microcordyla asteriae Zirpulo, 1927. ]

Diagnostic Features
  • Apical disc dicyclic (rarely with ocular 1 exsert).
  • Ambulacral plating polygeminate with 5 pore-pairs to a plate; pore-pairs arranged in arcs, forming oblique rows separated by a secondary tubercle.
  • One primary ambulacral tubercle to each compound plate.
  • Interambulacral plates with larger primary tubercle and one or more obvious secondary tubercles on either side at the ambitus. Little or no granulation.
  • Spines about half the test diameter in length.
  • Globiferous pedicellariae with single pair of lateral teeth and open blade.
Distribution
Pleistocene to Recent; Atlantic and Mediterranean.
Name gender masculine
Type
Echinus lividus Lamarck, 1816, p. 50, by original designation.
Species Included
  • P. lividus (Lamarck, 1816); Recent; Atlantic and Mediterranean.
  • P. gaimardi (Blainville, 1825); Recent, S. Atlantic.
Classification and/or Status

Camarodonta; Echinoida; Parechinidae.

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Remarks
Differs from the very similar Psammechinus in having five, not three, pore-pairs to a compound plate. It differs from Loxechinus in having fewer pore-pairs to a plate and longer spines.

Mortensen, T. 1903. The Danish Ingolf-Expedition 1895-1896. Vol. 4, No. 2. Echinoidea, pt. 1, 198 pp., 21 pls. Bianco Luno, Copenhagen.