Echinometra oblonga
Lead. Echinometra oblonga, also called the oblong urchin or 'ina 'ele 'ele (ina= generic name for urchin, 'ele 'ele= blackish) in Hawaiian, is a very common rock boring urchin on shallow rocky shores of the tropical Indo-Pacific and Southern Africa. Description. Echinometra oblonga have an upper side, which is their aboral side, and a lower side, which is their oral side. Their body parts include the Ambulacra, Tubercle, Madreporite, Genital Plate, Ocular plates, Peristome, and Interambulacral. Anatomy. The color of Echinometra oblonga are a range of dark purple to black. Their spines are shorter, and more blunt  than other species of Echinometra. Reproduction. Echinometra Oblonga, are gonochoric.They fertilize externally. Their eggs are either held on the peristome or around the periproct. Habitat. "Echinometra oblonga" generally live on the rougher-water areas of tropical reefs. To protect themselves from the force of the waves, they live in the holes of the reef, but they also live on exposed reef flats. As the urchin grows, they use their jaws to help enlarge holes in the reef. Their spines trap seaweed and algae from the reef, and then it is transferred to the mouth.