Species profile
Atlantic Rock-boring Urchin
Echinometra lucunter
At a glance
Atlantic Rock-boring Urchin (Echinometra lucunter) is an echinoderm present across the CatchRules coverage area but without species-specific bag, size, or season rules tracked in our regulatory dataset.
Confirmed by 146 research-grade iNaturalist observations across the species' range.
Notable details
- Uses its five hard teeth to slowly grind depressions into solid rock for shelter.
- Found along rocky shores from North Carolina through the Caribbean to Brazil.
- Typically 5–8 cm in test diameter, with short, stout spines.
- Over time, burrow openings can grow narrower than the urchin inside, effectively trapping it in its own shelter.
- Grazes on algae and encrusting organisms, usually emerging at night to feed.
Where Atlantic Rock-boring Urchin are seen
Background
Echinometra lucunter, the rock boring urchin, is a species of sea urchin in the family Echinometridae. It is found in very shallow parts of the western Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.
Background excerpt adapted from Wikipedia's Atlantic Rock-boring Urchin article (CC BY-SA). Visit Wikipedia for the full entry.
Other starfish/urchins/cucumbers on CatchRules
Photo credit: iNaturalist / Wikipedia. Identification reference only — verify regulations with the issuing wildlife agency before retaining a catch.