Lytechinus variegatus, known commonly as the green or variegated sea urchin, is a regular urchin that inhabits the warm waters of the Western Atlantic Ocean. It has relatively short spines and can reach a diameter of about 110mm (4in) (Hendler et al. 1995).

Lytechinus variegatus is a camarodont sea urchin found widely throughout the western Atlantic Ocean in a variety of shallow-water marine habitats. Its distribution, abundance, and amenability to developmental perturbation make it a popular model for ecologists and developmental biologists.

The sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus (Lamarck, 1816) is one of the most well-studied echinoids because of its ecological importance as a major herbivore on seagrass, its role as a model species for studies of both developmental and reproductive biology, and its potential to be developed in the aquaculture industry (Bronstein & Kroh 2019).