Coelopleurus is an extant genus of echinoids with fossil records dating back to the Eocene,[1] with remains found in Europe and North America.
| Coelopleurus Temporal range:
| |
|---|---|
| |
| Coelopleurus maculatus | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Echinodermata |
| Class: | Echinoidea |
| Order: | Arbacioida |
| Family: | Arbaciidae |
| Genus: | Coelopleurus Agassiz |
Characteristics
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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
editAccording to World Register of Marine Species:[3]
- 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[4]
References
edit- ^ Fossils (Smithsonian Handbooks) by David Ward (p. 179)
- ^ Mah, Christopher L. "Coelopleurus : The most gorgeous urchin you never heard of!". The Echinoblog..
- ^ Coelopleurus on WoRMS.
- ^ Coelopleurus elegans (Bell) at museum.tohoku.ac.jp
Further reading
edit- Kroh, A. (2014). Coelopleurus L. Agassiz, 1840a in Kroh, A. & Mooi, R. (2014) World Echinoidea Database (through World Register of Marine Species).
- "Coelopleurus". Echinoid Directory.
External links
edit
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