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 H.L. Clark, 1916 Coelopleurus carolinensis Cooke, 1941a † Coelopleurus castroi Maury, 1930 † Coelopleurus exquisitus Coppard & Schultz, 2006 Coelopleurus floridanus Agassiz, 1872 Coelopleurus granulatus Mortensen, 1934 Coelopleurus interruptus Döderlein, 1910 Coelopleurus longicollis Agassiz & H.L. Clark, 1908 Coelopleurus maculatus Agassiz & H.L. Clark, 1907 Coelopleurus maillardi (Michelin, 1862) Coelopleurus melitensis Zammit-Maempel, 1969 † Coelopleurus singularis Nisiyama, 1966 Coelopleurus undulatus Mortensen, 1934a Coelopleurus vittatus Koehler, 1927
Fossil species: †Coelopleurus elegans (Bell), from the Pleistocene of the Jizo-do formation of Japan
References
Further reading
Kroh, A. (2014). Coelopleurus L. Agassiz, 1840a in Kroh, A. & Mooi, R. (2014) World Echinoidea Database (through World Register of Marine Species).