  To address the question of whether the so-called ultra compact dwarf galaxies
(UCDs) are the remnant nuclei of destroyed early-type dwarf galaxies (dEs), we
analyze the stellar population parameters of the nuclei of 34 Virgo dEs, as
well as ten Virgo UCDs, including one that we discovered and which we report on
here. Based on absorption line strength (Lick index) measurements, we find that
nuclei of Virgo dEs have younger stellar population ages than UCDs, with
averages of 5 Gyr and >10 Gyr, respectively. In addition to this, the
metallicity also differs: dE nuclei are on average more metal-rich than UCDs.
On the other hand, comparing the stellar population parameters at the same
local galaxy density, with UCDs being located in the high density cluster
regions, we do not find any difference in the stellar populations of dE nuclei
and UCDs. In those regions, the dE nuclei are as old and as metal poor as UCDs.
This evidence suggests that the Virgo UCDs may have formed through the
stripping of dE nuclei.
