First Record of Sea Anemone Anthopleura handi Dunn, 1978 (Actiniaria: Actinidae) from Coast across the Indian Mainland

Anthopleura handi Dunn, 1978 was previously recorded from Andaman Islands. Here we report Anthopleura handi Dunn, 1978 for the first time from coast across the Indian mainland. The sea anemone specimen was collected from intertidal sandy area of Talasari Beach (21°36'11"N, 87°24'27"E), Balasore, Odisha. This paper also reports the species for the first time from eastern coast of Indian Mainland as well as from Odisha state with its diagnostic characters. In India there are total thirteen species of genus Anthopleura have been reported without proper taxonomic study. Thus, this paper also deals with a comparative analysis of various sea anemone species of genus Anthopleura reported from Indian water.