Two species of the pinnotherid crab, Dissodactylus nitidis Smith, 1870 and Dissodactylus xantusi Glassell, 1936 are reported associated with this species in Panama (see Dexter, 1977).
In Panama this species has been collected from Venado Beach (USNM E 15614, USNM E 14589, USNM E 34294, USNM E 13220), Panama Bay and Parita Bay, Aguadulce, in the mangroves on the tidal flat southeast of the town (USNM E 47242; Centroid Latitude: 8.2233, Centroid Longitude: -80.4917). Lessios (2005) reports collecting this species from Rodman at the mouth of the Panama Canal (8 55 N, 79 33 W), from Playa el Saldo (8 11.00 N, 80 28.50 W) near Aguadulce, and from Ensenada Carachine (8 11 N, 78 25 W) in the Gulf of San Miguel at a depth of 10 m. At Playa Veracruz, Gulf of Panama, this species occurs in large number at low tide, where it can be observed feeding in the tide pools on the sand flats.
Dexter, D. (1977). A natural history of the sand dollar Encope stokesi L. Agassiz in Panamá. Bull. Mar. Sci. 27: 544-551.
Mortensen, T. (1948). A monograph of the Echinoidea 4(2). Clypeasteroida. Copenhagen. 471 pp., 258 figures, 72 pls; pages: 449-451.
Lessios, H. A. (2005). Echinoids of the Pacific Waters of Panama: Status of knowledge and new records. Rev. Biol. Tropical 53 (sup. 3):147-170.
LSID urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:513254Echinoglycus stokesii (L. Agassiz, 1841) (transferred to Mellitella)
Encope (Mellitella) stokesii L. Agassiz, 1841 (transferred to Mellitella)
Encope stokesii L. Agassiz, 1841 (transferred to Mellitella)
Mellita stokesii (L. Agassiz, 1841) (transferred to Mellitella)
