Bunbuku Chagama (Bunbuku Tea Kettle) - Bunbuku Chagama (English name) Schizaster lacunosus

Japanese: ブンブクチャガマ(分福茶釜) - ブンブクチャガマ（英語表記）Schizaster lacunosus

An echinoderm (illustration) belonging to the family Polymorphidae in the class Echinoidea. It is found from Sagami Bay south to Australia and the east coast of Africa, living in sandy and muddy areas at depths of 5 to 90 meters. Its shell is about 5 cm long, 4.5 cm wide, and 3.5 cm high, and is broadly heart-shaped when viewed from above and nearly triangular when viewed from the side, with a vertical rear end. There is a theory that the Japanese name comes from this shape, but this is not clear. The shell is thin and fragile. There are two reproductive holes slightly behind the center of the upper surface of the shell, and flower-like bands radiate from them, with the front one being wide and long, reaching the front end of the shell and forming a deep depression.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

ウニ綱ブンブクチャガマ科に属する棘皮（きよくひ）動物（イラスト）。相模湾以南からオーストラリア，アフリカ東岸まで分布し，水深5～90mの砂泥地にすむ。殻長5cm，殻幅4.5cm，高さ3.5cmくらいで，上から見ると幅の広い心臓形，横からは三角形に近く，後端面は垂直になっている。和名はこの形によるという説もあるが，よくわからない。殻は薄くてもろい。殻の上面の中心よりやや後方に2個の生殖孔があり，それより花紋状歩帯が放射し，そのうち前方の1本が幅広くて長く，殻の前端に達して深いくぼみをつくる。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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