Coelopleurus
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 are brightly colored, too, even after drying, or sometimes fossilization.Species
According to World Register of Marine Species: Coelopleurus australis H.L. Clark, 1916Coelopleurus carolinensis Cooke, 1941a †Coelopleurus castroi Maury, 1930 †Coelopleurus exquisitus Coppard & Schultz, 2006Coelopleurus floridanus Agassiz, 1872Coelopleurus granulatus Mortensen, 1934Coelopleurus interruptus Döderlein, 1910Coelopleurus longicollis Agassiz & H.L. Clark, 1908Coelopleurus maculatus Agassiz & H.L. Clark, 1907Coelopleurus maillardi Coelopleurus melitensis Zammit-Maempel, 1969 †Coelopleurus singularis Nisiyama, 1966Coelopleurus undulatus Mortensen, 1934aCoelopleurus vittatus Koehler, 1927Fossil species:
- †Coelopleurus elegans, from the Pleistocene of the Jizo-do formation of Japan