Temnopleurus toreumaticus (Leske, 1778)

Figure 5

Material studied. WUSL/ER/259, 260, 261 (wet, with spines) and WUSL/ER/95, 262, 263, 264 (dry, with spines) from Nagadeepaya; WUSL/ER/265, 266 (wet, with spines) and WUSL/ER/267 (dry, with spines) from Mandathiv; WUSL/ER/268 (wet, with spines) and WUSL/ER/269, 270 (dry, with spines) from Point Pedro.

Literature records for Sri Lanka. Agassiz & Desor (1846), Agassiz (1872), Bell (1887), Anderson (1894), Herdman et al. (1904), Clark (1915, 1925), Koehler (1927).

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

Recorded depth range in Sri Lanka. 9–66 m (previous records).

Habitat. Bottoms consisting of “ Orbitolites sand, some dead coral, shells and pieces of Nullipore ” [sic] (Herdman et al. 1904).

Observed occurrence in this study. Fish landing sites at Mandathiv, Nagadeepa, and Point Pedro on the northern coast of Sri Lanka.

Remarks. This species can be distinguished from other Sri Lankan temnopleurids in having conspicuous, deep, long furrows along the plate sutures (so-called sutural pits). These furrows extend horizontally to the bases of the primary tubercles (Fig. 5).