Description

In Panama this species has been collected from Venado Beach (USNM E 15614, USNM E 14589, USNM E 34294, USNM E 13220), Panama Bay and Parita Bay, Aguadulce, in the mangroves on the tidal flat southeast of the town (USNM E 47242; Centroid Latitude: 8.2233, Centroid Longitude: -80.4917). Lessios (2005) reports collecting this species from Rodman at the mouth of the Panama Canal (8 55 N, 79 33 W), from Playa el Saldo (8 11.00 N, 80 28.50 W) near Aguadulce, and from Ensenada Carachine (8 11 N, 78 25 W) in the Gulf of San Miguel at a depth of 10 m. At Playa Veracruz, Gulf of Panama, this species occurs in large number at low tide, where it can be observed feeding in the tide pools on the sand flats.

Common Names

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Echinodermata

Class: Echinoidea

Order: Echinolampadacea

Family: Mellitidae

Genus: Mellitella

Species: Mellitella stokesii (L.Agassiz, 1841)