Blue Tuxedo Urchin Care Guide
Mespilia globulus, the blue tuxedo urchin, is a small Indo-Pacific echinoid with bands of short spines and bare blue-green skin. It is an effective algae grazer.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Mespilia globulus, the blue tuxedo urchin, is the only species in its genus and belongs to the family Temnopleuridae. It reaches about 5 cm across, with relatively small spines up to 2 cm that are usually brown, red or dark, separated by ten vertical spineless zones of vivid blue-green skin that give the tuxedo appearance. It is a small, popular reef-tank algae grazer.
Taxonomy
- Class: Echinoidea
- Order: Camarodonta
- Family: Temnopleuridae
- Genus: Mespilia
- Scientific name: Mespilia globulus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Habitat
The species lives in shallow tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific and Indian Ocean, including the south-west Pacific and Japan, on shallow reefs, coral rubble and seagrass beds at depths of roughly 0–200 m.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 80 L
- Temperature: 24–26 °C (75–79 °F)
- pH: 8.1–8.4
- Carbonate hardness (dKH): 8–11
- Specific gravity: 1.024–1.026
- Adult diameter: up to about 5 cm
- Lifespan: roughly 3–5 years
Suited to nano to medium reef tanks with live rock and stable parameters; supplement with dried algae if film and turf algae become scarce.
Diet
Mespilia globulus feeds by grazing organic material settled or growing on rock and the substrate, foraging mainly at night. Studies indicate that the presence of grazing feeders like this urchin can improve coral survival and growth by controlling algae.
Compatibility
It is reef compatible and its short spines pose little risk to corals, though it may carry small frags or shells around. Avoid urchin predators such as triggerfish and pufferfish.
Conservation status
The aquarium trade relies largely on wild-caught Mespilia globulus, as captive breeding has only rarely been reported.
Mespilia globulus Breeding Guide
Overview
Mespilia globulus, the blue tuxedo urchin, is a small Indo-Pacific echinoid up to about 5 cm in diameter. Ten bare vertical zones of vibrant blue or green skin alternate with bands of brown, red or dark spines up to 2 cm long, giving the tuxedo pattern. It grazes on organic material settled or growing on hard surfaces and the sea floor across shallow reefs, coral rubble and seagrass beds.
Reproductive Mode
The species is gonochoric, with separate male and female individuals, and reproduces by broadcast spawning: clouds of sperm and eggs are released by the animals and fertilisation occurs in the water column. Spawning is reported from July to September in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
Sexual Reproduction
After external fertilisation the embryos develop, like other urchins, into free-swimming planktonic echinopluteus larvae that feed for an extended period before settling and metamorphosing into juveniles. Brooding is also reported in this species, with eggs held on the peristome or within concavities of the test.
Common Challenges
The drifting planktonic larvae need controlled microalgal culture over weeks to months, so the tuxedo urchin is not bred in home reef aquaria. Released gametes and larvae do not survive normal tank filtration and predation.