Cidaris blakei

[1] It was among many deep sea animals dredged up from abyssal depths in the Gulf of Mexico during the explorations of the USC&GS George S. Blake, one of the first United States oceanographic research vessels,[3] and from which it derives its specific name.

The genus name is Latin for a headdress or tiara worn by ancient Persian kings.

Its range includes the Gulf of Mexico and deepwater areas off the Bahamas, where they were collected from the seabed at depths of around 600 m (2,000 ft).

[4] Larvae of C. blakei are planktotrophic, that is to say they spend a long time living in the water column, taking four months to develop from egg to metamorphosis, and as a result can disperse widely.

However, researchers think that they would be unlikely to survive the warmer temperatures present higher in the water column, and are therefore unable to migrate vertically.