The test is subcircular and has broad, straight edged, naked median interambulacral regions. These are cream, with each median region having a faint zizag lilac line that starts from the genital plate and continues to the ambitus. These naked median regions have red/orange borders that do not proceed below the ambitus. Primary spines are curved and unbanded; red distally (on the dorsal surface) blending into green proximally, typically just above the spine's collar. Cream primary spines are commonly seen beneath the ambitus. The spine's collar has 2 or 3 longitudinal ridges either side of the central dorsal ridge, with many ridges on the ventral surface and granules between ridges. Secondary spines are pointed (not club-shaped). All ophicephalous pedicellariae have unconstricted valves and are abundant both orally and aborally.
This species is similar to C. interruptus and C. vittatus in the colour and markings on the naked median regions of the interambulacra. However, in these species the naked median regions are bordered by white (not red), primary spines are almost straight, and the aboral ophicephalous pedicellariae have constricted valves.
West Indies, East coast of America as far as Cape Hatteras.
In Panama this species has been collected in Limon Bay, Colon (USNM E 26638; Centroid Latitude: 9.30, Centroid Longitude: -80.42) by the R. V. Oregon from a depth of 137 m. A record in the Smisthsonian National Museum of Natural History also states that this species was collected by the R. V. Pelican (USNM E 6691) from the North Pacific Ocean off Panama. This is most likely a cataloguing error.
Mortensen, T. (1935). A monograph of the Echinoidea 2. Bothriocidaroida, Meonechinoida, Lepidocentroida and Stiridonta. Copenhagen. 647 pp. 377 figures, 89 pls; pages: 612-619.
Coppard, S. E. & Schultz, H. A. G. (2006). A new species of Coelopleurus (Echinodermata: Echinoidea: Arbaciidae) from New Caledonia. Zootaxa 1281: 1-19.
LSID urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:513202Coelopleurus floridana A. Agassiz, 1872 (misspelling)
Coelopleurus floridianus A. Agassiz, 1872 (lapsus)
