''Coelopleurus exquisitus'', the exquisite urchin, is a

sea urchin Sea urchins or urchins () are echinoderms in the class (biology), class Echinoidea. About 950 species live on the seabed, inhabiting all oceans and depth zones from the intertidal zone to deep seas of . They typically have a globular body cove ...

species found off the coast of the island of

New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...

in the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

. It is an epifaunal deepwater species living at depths between and was only identified and named in 2006.A new species of Coelopleurus (Echinodermata: Echinoidea: Arbaciidae) from New Caledoni
''

Zootaxa ''Zootaxa'' is a peer-reviewed scientific mega journal for animal taxonomists. It is published by Magnolia Press (Auckland, New Zealand). The journal was established by Zhi-Qiang Zhang in 2001 and new issues are published multiple times a week ...

'', Magnolia Press. 7 August 2006. Accessed 20 September 2011.

Colouration

The colouration and pattern of ''C. exquisitus'' is vibrant and distinctive. Examined individuals of the species show that the

test Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film) ...

is up to in diameter, with long, curved spines. These primary spikes are curved and banded with red and light green. It has large purple interambulacral regions with undulating lavender lines, while the remainder of the

epithelium Epithelium or epithelial tissue is a thin, continuous, protective layer of cells with little extracellular matrix. An example is the epidermis, the outermost layer of the skin. Epithelial ( mesothelial) tissues line the outer surfaces of man ...

is coloured olive or light brown. This makes it highly sought-after by collectors, which may threaten the species. However, too little is known about the species to confirm their number. The purpose of the pigmentation, which is present in both the skin and skeleton, is also unknown, given the low light conditions of its habitat. One presented theory is that the species migrated from shallower waters and has maintained its colouring.O'Brien, Helen
New urchin leaves eBayers all at sea
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

''. 17 August 2006. Accessed 20 September 2011.

Discovery

The species was first identified after appearing on auction website

eBay eBay Inc. ( , often stylized as ebay) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that allows users to buy or view items via retail sales through online marketplaces and websites in 190 markets worldwide. ...

.Vallance, Chris
An Exquisite New Species found on Ebay
.

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

. 4 September 2006. Accessed 26 April 2014. Simon Coppard,

marine biologist Marine biology is the scientific study of the biology of marine life, organisms that inhabit the sea. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology clas ...

and member of the

International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) is an organization dedicated to "achieving stability and sense in the scientific naming of animals". Founded in 1895, it currently comprises 26 commissioners from 20 countries. Orga ...

, was directed to a listing on the site in 2004. Coppard was frequently asked to identify species, but did not recognise this particular specimen. Further investigation with the help of Heinke Schultz led him to realise it was a previously unidentified species. The species was given a name fitting its unique and beautiful colouring, with details about ''C. exquisitus'' first published in

taxonomy image:Hierarchical clustering diagram.png, 280px, Generalized scheme of taxonomy Taxonomy is a practice and science concerned with classification or categorization. Typically, there are two parts to it: the development of an underlying scheme o ...

journal ''

'' on 7 August 2006. Immediately after this public introduction, the value of specimens for sale on eBay rocketed from $8 to $138. Coppard expressed concern that sea urchins like ''C. exquisitus'' could become endangered by sellers who abuse the insufficient regulatory protocols currently in place: "The collection and sale of these urchins should be regulated and monitored; otherwise, we may decimate the populations before we know much more about it." A similar event occurred in 2008 when a fossilised

aphid Aphids are small sap-sucking insects in the Taxonomic rank, family Aphididae. Common names include greenfly and blackfly, although individuals within a species can vary widely in color. The group includes the fluffy white Eriosomatinae, woolly ...

encased in

amber Amber is fossilized tree resin. Examples of it have been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since the Neolithic times, and worked as a gemstone since antiquity."Amber" (2004). In Maxine N. Lurie and Marc Mappen (eds.) ''Encyclopedia ...

was purchased from eBay. Again, the species was found to never have been described; it was given the name '' Mindarus harringtoni'' after the buyer's name.eBay insect fossil is new species

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

. 20 August 2008. Accessed 20 September 2011.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3389306 Animals described in 2006 Arbacioida Prehistoric animals of Oceania

Colouration

Discovery

See also

References