Loveniidae Explained

Loveniidae is a family of heart urchins in the order Spatangoida.

Description and characteristics

These sea urchins are called "heart urchins" due to their specific shape, looking like a heart when seen from below (more or less depending on the genus). The mouth is located between the two cheeks, and the anus is below the tip.

Genera

According to the World Register of Marine Species:

• genus Araeolampas Serafy, 1974
• genus Atelospatangus Koch, 1885 †
• genus Breynia Desor, in Agassiz & Desor, 1847
• genus Chuniola Gagel, 1903 †
• subfamily Echinocardiinae Cooke, 1942
  • genus Echinocardium Gray, 1825
• genus Gualtieria Desor, in Agassiz & Desor, 1847 †
• genus Hemipatagus Desor, 1858 †
• genus Laevipatagus Noetling, 1885 †
• genus Lovenia Desor, in Agassiz & Desor, 1847
• genus Pseudolovenia A. Agassiz & H.L. Clark, 1907b
• genus Semipetalion Szörényi, 1963 †
• genus Spatangomorpha Boehm, 1882 †