New species discovered on Ebay

It's not the first place zoologists look when hunting for new organisms, but Ebay turns out to have been hiding just that: a new species of sea urchin.

One such creature is still up for sale on the auction site, the Guardian newspaper reports. The high bid, at the time of writing, is $28 (£15).

Such items regularly come up for sale on Ebay, and Dr Simon Coppard of the Natural History Museum in London is often consulted by collectors to help identify them.

Dr Coppard named the urchin Coelopleurus exquisitus because of the bright colours on its exterior. The urchin is incorrectly described as being of the species Coelopleurus interruptus on the auction page.

The zoologist said he was concerned that controls need to be put in place on the numbers of urchins up for sale, although he welcomed the interest in the subject.