15/A – Pencil sea urchin - Stylocidaris affinis

An urchin with a rather small, spherical body (not exceeding 5/6 cm in diameter), which is flat dorso-ventrally, has a few highly developed and mobile stings, similar to long, large, striped needles longitudinally and often encrusted with algae and small bryozoa. As a rule it lives at a depth of over 30 meters, where it feeds off algae and debris.