Herbivores

Sea urchins

Urchins are major herbivores on reefs and control the abundance of seaweeds by constantly grazing them off of rocky surfaces.

There are many species of urchins on Hawaiian reefs. The most common are rock boring urchins (Echinometra mathaei, right).


The slate-pencil urchin, Heterocentrotus mammillatus	Collector urchin, Tripneustes gratilla	Black-banded urchin, Echinothrix calamaris	Black urchin or Wana, Echinothrix diadema