Stumpy pencil urchin

Goniocidaris (Goniocidaris) tubaria

Other invertebrates
IUCN: Not evaluated

Usual depth5–33 m
Water temperature14–27 °C
Best monthsMarch, May, and November
How commonOccasional

All species

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

Loading the map

Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 13 records
February: 112 records
March: 186 records
April: 120 records
May: 133 records
June: 82 records
July: 28 records
August: 26 records
September: 47 records
October: 64 records
November: 157 records
December: 15 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 5–33 m · Deepest record: 366 m

0–10 m: 518 records
10–20 m: 64 records
20–30 m: 1 records
30–40 m: 3 records
40–50 m: 4 records
50–60 m: 21 records
60–70 m: 19 records
70–80 m: 4 records
80–90 m: 5 records
90–100 m: 2 records
100–110 m: 3 records
110+ m: 6 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 14–27 °C

12–14 °C: 152 records
14–16 °C: 483 records
16–18 °C: 40 records
18–20 °C: 26 records
20–22 °C: 108 records
22–24 °C: 4 records
24–26 °C: 1 records
26–28 °C: 1 records

Names and classification

English: Stumpy pencil urchin, Thorny spined sea urchin

Other scientific names: Cidaris spinulosa, Cidaris tubaria, Cidarites geranioides, Cidarites tubaria, Goniocidaris geranioides, Goniocidaris quoyi, Stephanocidaris tubaria

Similar species

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
1,603 open-data records from 1894 to 2023.
Species data updated November 3, 2026.

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