Lytechinus variegatus (Lamarck 1816)

Lytechinus variegatus (Lamarck)

Echinus variegatus Lamarck, 1816:48. [For a synonymy, see Mortensen, 1943a:437. Subsequent papers describing the biology and distribution are Moore, Jutare, Bauer, and Jones, 1963; Moore, 1965; Kier and Grant, 1965; Chesher, 1968b; and Serafy, 1973.]

This species is common to the lagoon in Thalassia beds where the water is more than 4 meters deep. It covers its test with blades of Thalassia. It is most common off Water Cay Range, where it occurs with Clypeaster rosaceus (Linnaeus), Eucidaris tribuloides (Lamarck), herds of Diadema antillarum Philippi, few Tripneustes venlricosus (Lamarck) and rare Arbacia punctulata (Lamarck). No specimens were found on the reef.

The vast majority of the specimens belong to the subspecies L. variegatus variegatus, but one specimen was collected of L. variegattts carolinus Agassiz. It is distinguished by its pink test and more numerous ambulacral and interambulacral plates. The subspecies has never been found this far south (see Serafy, 1973, fig. 1, for map of distribution of subspecies).