Fossil range: recent & fossil

 A large, spectacular, violet coloured heart urchin that grows up to 12 cm long. Some of the long upper spines are white. The bivalve mollusc Montacuta substriata is often found attached to spines.

This is a large, somewhat flattened heart urchin, purple in colour. There is a deep notch in the front of the test, corresponding with the frontal ambulacrum, but the petals of the dorsal surface are not indented. There is only a subanal fasciole, no fasciole on the upper surface of the body. Up to 12cm in length. Spatangus raschi is similar but has not been found much shallower than 150 metres. It is dome-shaped and only incompletely buries itself.

Adriatic Sea, Aegean Sea, Azores, Belgian Exclusive Economic Zone, Bohuslän, British Isles, Calais, Central Mediterranean, Dutch Exclusive Economic Zone, European waters (ERMS scope), French Exclusive Economic Zone [Atlantic part], Greek Exclusive Economic Zone, Irish Exclusive economic Zone, Kattegat, Levantine Basin, Marseille, Mediterranean Sea, North Africa, North Coast of Norway, North East Atlantic, North France, North Sea, Norway, Norwegian Exclusive Economic Zone, Öresund, Rockall, United Kingdom, United Kingdom Exclusive Economic Zone, Western Mediterranean, Wimereux

Occasional low on shore, common offshore down to more than 200 m depth, burrowing in coarse sand or ogravel, all round the British Isles

Found all round the coasts of the British Isles.

Depth range based on 144 specimens in 1 taxon.
Water temperature and chemistry ranges based on 107 samples.

Environmental ranges
  Depth range (m): 0 - 344
  Temperature range (°C): 4.600 - 16.943
  Nitrate (umol/L): 1.473 - 12.427
  Salinity (PPS): 31.635 - 37.615
  Oxygen (ml/l): 5.592 - 6.746
  Phosphate (umol/l): 0.103 - 0.838
  Silicate (umol/l): 1.488 - 5.965

Graphical representation

Depth range (m): 0 - 344

Temperature range (°C): 4.600 - 16.943

Nitrate (umol/L): 1.473 - 12.427

Salinity (PPS): 31.635 - 37.615

Oxygen (ml/l): 5.592 - 6.746

Phosphate (umol/l): 0.103 - 0.838

Silicate (umol/l): 1.488 - 5.965
 
Note: this information has not been validated. Check this *note*. Your feedback is most welcome.

 Occurs buried just below the surface of coarse sand or gravel, including maerl but rarely mud, in wave sheltered areas in the infralittoral fringe, down to about 900 m.

Lives in coarse sand or gravel, usually completely buried but sometimes with the dorsal spines just breaking the surface. Specimens can often be located by looking for furrows in the gravel where the animal has moved along beneath the surface.

Animal / predator
adult of Balcis alba is predator of Spatangus purpureus
Remarks: Other: uncertain

Echinopluteus larva. Summer