Cook Islands Biodiversity & Natural Heritage
 

Toxopneustes pileolus

Flower Urchin

Multimedia & Additional Resources

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Open this image in pop-up window Image: Animal and pedicillariae open and closed 71KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Flower Urchin

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - Indonesia - Cooks; n. s.Japan.

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; S.Group - rare (Rarotonga only); Marine, near-shore

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: ; dangerously toxic appendages

KEY FEATURES: Testa to 14cmØ. COLOUR pink to beige, often camouflaged with debris. PEDICILLARIAE cover testa protruding beyond the spines; each has a slender stalk and a cup-like tip, which is pale pink with a red centre with 3-jaws; on contact the jaws snap closed and inject venom. SPINES relatively short, non-venomous. Pedicillariae jaws remain locked even when the pedicellariae are pulled over the urchin. The venom causes severe pain and muscular paralysis that may last around 6 hours. Death from poison unknown, but the pain can lead to accidental drowning.

Enlarged Image of 'Toxopneustes pileolus'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present    Makatea:
RR 
MG
AT
MK
MT
AK
PL
TK
MN
+

Northern Group:
TN 
MH
RK
PK
NS
SW

Key to Symbols

Pests & Hosts

Relationship Hosts
Toxic - serious Homo sapiens

Scientific Taxonomy

Toxopneustes pileolus (Lamarck, 1816)
TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; ECHINODERMATA; ELEUTHEROZOA; ECHINOIDEA; REGULARIA; Camorodonta; TOXOPNEUSTIDAE

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
NEGATIVE SIGNIFICANCE: dangerously toxic appendages. Comments: The small round appendages (=pedicellariae) snap closed and inject venom causing serious pain, which may last for six hours. Very painful, but only fatalities were due to drowning. Remove any attached apprendages, soak in NON-SCALDING hot water. Seek medical assistance in case respiratory complications develop.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: fieldspecimen+photo, southwest reef-flat (Aroa), 7/2005, Sonia Miller, with ID G.McCormack as Toxopneustes pileolus, 7/2005.

References:
None recorded.

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB05b, zM05b, zD05b

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org. Copy citation to system clipboard
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