Salmacis bicolor L. Agassiz in L. Agassiz & Desor, 1846

Figure 3

Material studied. WUSL/ER/236, 237, 238 (wet, with spines) from Godawaya; WUSL/ER/239 (dry, with spines) from Nilwella; WUSL/ER/240 (wet, with spines) and WUSL/ER/241 (dry, with spines) from Mandathiv; WUSL/ ER/242 (wet, with spines) and WUSL/ER/88, 243 (dry, with spines) from Nagadeepaya; WUSL/ER/244, 245 (dry, with spines) from Point Pedro.

Literature records for Sri Lanka. Bell (1882, 1887), Döderlein (1888), Herdman et al. (1904), Clark (1915, 1925), Koehler (1927), Price & Rowe (1996), Schultz (2005), Fernando (2006), Sastry (2007), Jayakody (2012).

Distribution in Sri Lanka. Northern, southern, and western coasts of Sri Lanka.

Recorded depth range in Sri Lanka. 1–5 m (present study), 4–55 m (previous records).

Habitat. Rocky shores, among boulders and seagrass.

Observed occurrence in this study. Northern coast (Mandathiv, Nagadeepa, and Point Pedro) and the southern coast (Godawaya and Nilwella) of Sri Lanka.

Remarks. S. bicolor differs from other species in the genus in that the spines are banded in red and yellowish to violet or green and have red bases (Fig. 3). This species is well documented in Sri Lanka.