Coelopleurus is an extant genus of echinoids with fossil records dating back to the Eocene, with remains found in Europe and North America.
Characteristics
These abyssal sea urchins are characterized by their surprisingly bright color pattern, usually red and white. Even more surprisingly, their tests (skeletons) are brightly colored, too, even after drying, or sometimes fossilization.
Species
According to World Register of Marine Species:
- Coelopleurus australis <small>H.L. Clark, 1916</small>
- Coelopleurus carolinensis <small>Cooke, 1941a</small> âÂÂ
- Coelopleurus castroi <small>Maury, 1930</small> âÂÂ
- Coelopleurus exquisitus <small>Coppard & Schultz, 2006</small>
- Coelopleurus floridanus <small>Agassiz, 1872</small>
- Coelopleurus granulatus <small>Mortensen, 1934</small>
- Coelopleurus interruptus <small>Döderlein, 1910</small>
- Coelopleurus longicollis <small>Agassiz & H.L. Clark, 1908</small>
- Coelopleurus maculatus <small>Agassiz & H.L. Clark, 1907</small>
- Coelopleurus maillardi <small>(Michelin, 1862)</small>
- Coelopleurus melitensis <small>Zammit-Maempel, 1969</small> âÂÂ
- Coelopleurus singularis <small>Nisiyama, 1966</small>
- Coelopleurus undulatus <small>Mortensen, 1934a</small>
- Coelopleurus vittatus <small>Koehler, 1927</small>
Fossil species:
- â Coelopleurus elegans (Bell), from the Pleistocene of the Jizo-do formation of Japan
References
Further reading
External links