''Coelopleurus'' is an extant

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

echinoid Sea urchins () are spine (zoology), spiny, globular echinoderms in the class Echinoidea. About 950 species of sea urchin live on the seabed of every ocean and inhabit every depth zone from the intertidal seashore down to . The spherical, hard s ...

s with fossil records dating back to the

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene' ...

, with remains found in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

and

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

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 The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive list of names of marine organisms. Content The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scientific specialist ...

: * '' Coelopleurus australis'' H.L. Clark, 1916 * '' Coelopleurus carolinensis'' Cooke, 1941a † * '' Coelopleurus castroi'' Maury, 1930 † * ''

Coelopleurus exquisitus The exquisite urchin (''Coelopleurus exquisitus'') is a sea urchin species found off the coast of the island of New Caledonia in the Pacific Ocean. It is an Fauna#Epifauna, epifaunal deepwater species living at depths between and was only identi ...

'' Coppard & Schultz, 2006 * '' Coelopleurus floridanus''

Agassiz Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz ( ; ) FRS (For) FRSE (May 28, 1807 – December 14, 1873) was a Swiss-born American biologist and geologist who is recognized as a scholar of Earth's natural history. Spending his early life in Switzerland, he rec ...

, 1872 * '' Coelopleurus granulatus'' Mortensen, 1934 * '' Coelopleurus interruptus'' Döderlein, 1910 * '' Coelopleurus longicollis''

& H.L. Clark, 1908 * '' Coelopleurus maculatus''

& 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 ''Coelopleurus elegans'' (Bell)
at museum.tohoku.ac.jp

References

External links

''Coelopleurus''
in the

Paleobiology Database The Paleobiology Database is an online resource for information on the distribution and classification of fossil animals, plants, and microorganisms. History The Paleobiology Database (PBDB) originated in the NCEAS-funded Phanerozoic Marine Pale ...

* Arbacioida Extant Eocene first appearances Paleogene echinoderms of Europe Prehistoric echinoderms of North America Echinoidea genera {{echinoidea-stub

Characteristics

Species

References

Further reading

External links