Cook Islands Biodiversity Database

Species Page

Back to: «« Search Page | « Results Page

Add to My List

Chondrocidaris gigantea

Blade-tipped Tiara-urchin

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Adult: dorsal side	64KB
Image:	Adult: ventral side	50KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Blade-tipped Tiara-urchin

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Mauritius - Indonesia - Guam - Samoa - Rarotonga - Hawai‘i

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; S.Group (RR only - uncommon); Marine, near-shore, outer reef-slope; up to 15m, more common 30m

KEY FEATURES: Small urchin with large spines with rows of 'thorns'. Test 6cmØ, thick primary spines 10cm long (1.5x testØ). Primary spines mainly smooth on one side, with thorns forming 5 rows on the other three sides. The thorns are well spaced along most of the length, but develop into five blade-like ridges about 1cm from the tip. The thorns are not aligned to form rings around the spines. Interambulacral area very wide and densely covered with small miliary spines.

Enlarged Image of 'Chondrocidaris gigantea'

Cook Islands Distribution

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

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Chondrocidaris gigantea A. Agassiz, 1863
TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; ECHINODERMATA; ELEUTHEROZOA; ECHINOIDEA; REGULARIA; Cidaroidea; CIDARIDAE

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: 2 specimens from several on coral head at 15m, Avarua, Barry Hill, c.1982, ID as Chondrocidaris gigantea by G.Paulay; specimen+photo, 30m Upper Tupapa, 7/2002, Coll. Chris Peta, to BPBM 7/2002. ID confirmed as Chondrocidaris gigantea by Rich Mooi (CalAcad) 11/2002; fieldspecimen+photo, 1/2003 7pm, 20m under overhand, Black Rock, coll. Pupuke Robati Jr, ID Kori Raumea, seen by GMcC.

References:
None recorded.

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zD02

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.
Please refer to our use policy.

Biodiversity Database: More Options | Help

My List: View List | Edit List | Clear List