Although well known for their epibiotic relationship with many living substrates, records of bryozoans settling on echinoderms are uncommon. In the few recorded cases, most basibionts (hosts) are cidaroid sea urchins, and their primary spines seems to be the preferred place for bryozoa settlement. Here, an unprecedented epibiosis between a bryozoan and a non-cidaroid sea urchin is reported, in which the epibiont Schizoporella errata (Waters, 1878) was found attached to a living specimen of Echinometra lucunter (Linnaeus, 1758). Additionally, the total coelomocyte counts (TCC), the differential coelomocyte counts (DCC), and the wound healing dynamics of the bryozoan-encrusted sea urchin were observed and contrasted to a control group of healthy animals. Confidence intervals of the mean for TCC and DCC in the healthy animals were calculated and compared with the bryozoan-encrusted sea urchin. Only one bryozoan colony was found on the affected echinoid, covering a spineless area of 58.9 mm². Consistent differences were observed in coelomocyte counts (TCC and DCC) for the bryozoan-encrusted echinoid when compared with the control group: 1.9-fold more coelomocytes and 4.7- and 2.75-fold more red and colorless spherulocytes, as well as 1.38 and 2.05 fewer phagocytes and vibratile cells respectively. An advanced inflammatory-like response on the wounded area after the careful removal of S. errata was also observed, suggesting that the healing process had started before epibiont removal. Thus, the integrated analyses of the results presented here indicate that the basibiont sea urchin was physiologically affected during epibiotic associations.

尽管众所周知，它们与许多活的底物之间存在表生生物关系，但关于苔藓虫在棘皮动物上定居的记录却很少见。在少数有记录的病例中，大多数寄主（寄主）是洋杉样海胆，并且它们的初生刺似乎是苔藓菌定居的首选场所。在这里，据报道，在苔藓动物和非拟弧体海胆之间存在史无前例的传染病，其中发现了附生菌Schizoporella errata（沃特世，1878年）附着在Echinometra lucunter上（Linnaeus，1758年）。另外，观察到了包裹有苔藓动物的海胆的总体细胞计数（TCC），差异体细胞计数（DCC）和伤口愈合动力学，并与健康动物对照组进行了对比。计算健康动物中TCC和DCC平均值的置信区间，并将其与包裹有苔藓动物的海胆进行比较。在受影响的棘突上仅发现一个苔藓虫菌落，覆盖了58.9 mm ²的无脊椎区域。与对照组相比，包裹有苔藓的类棘突类动物的粒细胞计数（TCC和DCC）具有一致的差异：粒细胞数增加1.9倍，红色和无色球细胞数增加4.7和2.75倍，少1.38和2.05吞噬细胞和振动细胞。仔细观察到S. errata的去除后，还观察到了受伤部位的晚期炎症样反应，这表明愈合过程是在去除表观生物素之前开始的。因此，此处呈现的结果的综合分析表明，附生海胆在表观生物缔合期间受到生理影响。