• Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Echinodermata
  • Subphylum: Echinozoa
  • Class: Echinoidea
  • Order: Camarodonta
  • Family: Parechinidae
  • Scientific name: Psammechinus miliaris
  • Norwegian: Tangsjøpiggsvin

Characteristics:

The somewhat depressed shell has a horizontal diameter of up to 5 cm. The short spines usually have violet points. Both shell and spines have a green tint.

Habitat:

Can be found on wide range of substrate, but seems to prefer hard bottom on current-exposed locations. The depth range is from the subtidal zone to 100 meters.

Distribution:

Widespread along the East costs of the Atlantic Ocean, from Iceland to Morocco, excluding the Mediterranean. It is also found at the Azores, but not in North America or Greenland.