ekinodermit

Ekinodermit is a fictional genus of marine invertebrates created for speculative biology and world-building. In the imagined taxonomy, it belongs to the phylum Echinodermata and is described as having pentaradial symmetry in adulthood, a calcareous test, and a mosaic of interlocking plates. Adults are typically disk- to oval-shaped, with a margin lined by tube feet that function in locomotion and feeding by particle capture.

Morphology and anatomy are described as a calcite-based outer covering composed of plates arranged to form a flexible test. A ventral mouth is surrounded by ambulacral grooves and podia, while the dorsal surface bears a textured skin with sensory papillae. Although lacking elongated limbs, ekinodermit individuals may show small radiating lobes around the periphery that aid in stabilization on the substrate.

Habitat and ecology: In the fictional ecosystem, ekinodermit species inhabit shallow coastal habitats, including rocky shores, coral rubble zones, and seagrass beds. They are detritivores and microalgae feeders, using tube feet to collect particles from the substrate. Some species are inferred to employ adhesion to surfaces for stabilization, while predators in the imagined setting include small fishes and opportunistic invertebrates. Reproduction is sexual with external fertilization, and larvae are free-swimming before undergoing metamorphosis into juvenile forms. Asexual regeneration via fragmentation is occasionally noted in the speculative anatomy but is considered rare.

Taxonomy and etymology: The genus name combines elements reminiscent of echinoderms with a suffix intended to evoke dermal architecture. In the fictional atlas, example species are cited to illustrate coastal and pelagic ecologies, serving as cases for educational demonstration rather than as real-world taxa.