Coelopleurus

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Coelopleurus
Temporal range: Eocene–Present
MHNT - Coelopleurus maculatus, squelette - Nouméa, Nouvelle-Calédonie.jpg
Coelopleurus maculatus
Scientific classification
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Coelopleurus

Coelopleurus is an extant genus of echinoids with fossil records dating back to the Eocene,[1] 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.[2]

Species

According to World Register of Marine Species:[3]

Fossil species:

  • Coelopleurus elegans (Bell), from the Pleistocene of the Jizo-do formation of Japan[4]

References

  1. ^ Fossils (Smithsonian Handbooks) by David Ward (p. 179)
  2. ^ Mah, Christopher L. "Coelopleurus : The most gorgeous urchin you never heard of!". The Echinoblog..
  3. ^ Coelopleurus on WoRMS.
  4. ^ Coelopleurus elegans (Bell) at museum.tohoku.ac.jp

Further reading

External links