Pencil urchin - Stylocidaris affinis
Stylocidaris affinis (Philippi, 1845), commonly known as pencil curl, is an echinoderm from the Cidaridae family. Stylocidaris affinis riccio matita è un echinoderma famiglia Cidaridae
Description
Quills are very evident, thick, well spaced, as long as the body diameter, yellow to red, which can reach 5 cm.
Biology
It feeds on bryozoans, molluscs, foraminifera.
Distribution and habitat
Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, on coralligenous or detrital bottoms, from about 30 meters depth (except for some locations, such as Pantelleria or in the caves of Alghero, where it is sometimes even at surface levels) up to 1000 meters. It is possible to find it along the docks of the ports left by the fishermen who clean the nets where they are often entangled.
https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stylocidaris_affinis