First record of sea urchin Temnopleurus toreumaticus (Leske 1778) (Echinoidea: Temnopleuridae) from estuaries of west coast of India

Sea urchins are spiny marine benthic organisms under the phylum Echinodermata. Being marine organisms, the larvae are often transported to estuaries by waves and settle on finding a suitable location to mark their presence in estuaries. The present paper deals with the first record of sea urchin Temnopleurus toreumaticus from two estuaries along the West coast of India along with its possible implications. Specimens were collected from the upper stretch of Valappattanam (16km from the estuarine mouth) and Dharmadam (7km from the estuarine mouth) estuaries with the salinity ranging from 23 to 35 ppt. The intrusion of saline waters through tidal flux is the major factor for the migration of sea urchins towards the upstream of the estuary. Further studies regarding the settlement and proliferation of sea urchins in estuaries are required to delineate the possible management strategies.