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Coelopleurus exquisitus is a recently discovered sea urchin species from New Caledonia in the Pacific. Coelopleurus exquisitus has a striking pattern colouration to both test and spines. Yet we simply have no idea what purpose such colouration serves, as this species lives only in deep water. The pigmentation is distributed both in the skin and in the underlying skeleton, making this species highly prized by collectors and thus possibly under threat.There is still much to be learned about the biology of sea urchins, especially those living below easy scuba-diving reach. We need to gather basic biological information about species like these in order to assess their conservation status.Trusted
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