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Common Sand Dollar
Echinoderm
Common Sand Dollar
Echinarachnius parma (Lamarck, 1816)
WoRMS AphialID
158062
Sample IDs
HMSC174_02184 https://bench.boldsystems.org/index.php/MAS_DataRetrieval_OpenSpecimen?selectedrecordid=ATCEC040-24
Collected
Les Escoumins QC, ponar grab collection of silt and sand, 5 m depth.
Distinguishing Features
• Test: flat, disklike shape with no slits and the colour is purplish to reddish brown.
• Spines: fine and short.
• Size: to 10 cm diameter.
Habitat
sandy substrate, 0-1600 m depth.
Geographic Range
Circumpolar distribution in the Northern Hemisphere from Labrador to Maryland on the east coast of North America, from Alaska to Puget Sound on the west coast, Siberia, Japan and the Arctic Ocean.
Fun Fact
Their scientific name derives from the Latin parma, an oval or round shield used by Roman troops. Sand dollars are also keystone species. Scientists think that they are the second most important factor, after major storms, in reworking surface sediments.
Barcode Distribution
BIN match New Brunswick, Russia and USA.
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