Lotus leaf bread - Lotus leaf bread

A marine animal belonging to the phylum Echinodermata, class Echinoidea, family Polypodidae. A lotus-leaf-shaped sea urchin, it is uniformly deep purple all over and has numerous grooves on its underside like veins. It often grows in colonies in the sand and mud of shallow seas. It is 6 to 7 centimeters in diameter and less than 1 centimeter thick. The outline of the shell varies greatly, with some being wide and exhibiting a pronounced wavy rear edge. It is found from southwestern Hokkaido to Kyushu and the southern part of the Korean Peninsula. The Japanese white lotus sea urchin S. brevis is a synonym of this species. A closely related species is the gray-tongued gray lotus sea urchin S. griseus, which has a dark gray back and is found along the coasts of the Tohoku region and Hokkaido.

[Michio Shigei]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

棘皮(きょくひ)動物門ウニ綱ハスノハカシパン科に属する海産動物。全体が一様に濃紫色で、下面に葉脈のような多数の溝のあるハスの葉形のウニ。浅海の砂泥中に群生することが多い。直径6、7センチメートル、厚さ1センチメートル未満。殻の輪郭は変異が大きく、幅広くて後縁が著しい波形を呈するものもある。北海道南西部から九州、朝鮮半島南部まで分布する。ナミベリハスノハカシパンS. brevisは本種と同物異名。近縁種に背面が暗灰色を帯びるハイイロハスノハカシパンS. griseusがあり、東北地方と北海道の沿岸に産する。

［重井陸夫］

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