The sea urchins do they have no secrets for you? If so, what does this macrophotograph show? This is the apical system of a sea urchin, therefore located on the aboral face of the individual. The central hole constitutes theanus of the specimen and the five perforations around it are the genital pores. Sea urchins are species with predominantly gonochoric reproduction, which means that the individuals are either male or female.
To reproduce, sea urchins synchronize theemission of their gametes through chemical signals present in the environment. These gametes then meet to produce œeggs which, on hatching, will give larvae planktonic called larvae pluteus which look like small Eiffel towers. These larvae then metamorphose to acquire their final form of sea urchin that we know well, and acquire a way of life benthic. Sea urchin species are very diverse in terms of morphology and D’ecology and this slideshow will show you a small part of this splendid diversity.