Tuxedo Urchin

The Tuxedo Urchin is a small, attractive, and highly beneficial herbivore. It has a round, dark body (often blue or black) with vibrant, velvety bands, giving it a 'tuxedo' appearance. It is a voracious algae-eater, particularly effective at cleaning film algae from glass and rockwork. It is reef-safe and generally less clumsy than its long-spined cousins. A fascinating and comical behavior is its tendency to 'decorate' itself by picking up and carrying shells, small rocks, and even coral frags on its back, which is thought to be a form of camouflage or sun protection. It is much more desirable than pencil urchins.