Violet sea urchin live specimen

Sea urchin with nearly spherical body and a very high number of spines, which are short, blunt and violet in colour with white tips. Its Italian common name "riccio canuto” (= hoary sea urchin), in fact, comes from the whitish colour of the spine tips that gives it an “elderly” appearance. It is a solitary species that feeds on organic debris and grazing algae and seagrasses.