[Coral-List] White-spined Diadema

[BOOTH, Charles E. (Biology)]

   Stuart  Wynne  wrote:  "I  have  been trying to find references to the
   white spined Diadema..."


   The following description of D. antillarum appears to be attributed to
   Libby Hyman (Hyman, L.H.  1955. The invertebrates: Echinodermata, Vol.
   4, McGraw Hill, New York.  763 pp):
   "Diadema  is uniformly dark purple or almost black when mature, but in
   the  young  (to 2 cm in diameter) the spines may be banded with white.
   Adults  occasionally  have patches of white spines and very rarely are
   completely white."

   Odgen, J.C. and R.C. Carpenter. 1987. Species profiles: life histories
   and  environmental  requirements  of  coastal fishes and invertebrates
   (south Florida) -- long-spined black sea urchin.  U.S. Fish and Wildl.
   Serv.  Biol. rep. 82 (11.77). U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, TR EL-82-4
   17 pp.

   [1]http://www.nwrc.usgs.gov/wdb/pub/species_profiles/82_11-077.pdf


   The white color is almost certainly genetically determined. I've never
   seen  any  references suggesting  an  environmental influence on spine
   color  in  Diadema,  and a  cursory  search  didn't  turn  up  any. In
   particular, this review by John Randall et al. doesn't mention it:

   Randall,  J.E.  et  al.  (1964 )  Notes on the biology of the echinoid
   Diadema     antillarum.      Carib.     J.     Sci     4:     421-432.
   [2]http://academic.uprm.edu/publications/cjs/VOL04/P421-434.PDF

References

   1. http://www.nwrc.usgs.gov/wdb/pub/species_profiles/82_11-077.pdf
   2. http://academic.uprm.edu/publications/cjs/VOL04/P421-434.PDF