மன்னார் வளைகுடா சார்ந்த முட்தோலிகளின் பல்லுயிரி வளமும் அதன் வளங்குன்றா பாதுகாப்பு அணுகுமுறைகளும் (Biodiversity and Resources of Echinoderm of Gulf of Mannar : their conservation and approaches)

Gulf of mannar is located along southeast of Tamilnadu and extends from Rameswaram and encompass the coastal districts of Ramanathapuram, Thoothukudi and Kanniyakumari districts. On the eastern side the Gulf extends to Thalai mannar in Srilanka, hence the gulf derives its name Gulf of Mannar. The Government of India declared the 21 islands and its surrounding as Marine park in 1986, and in the same year UNESCO declared this area as one of the biodiversity richest place on earth. The Gulf of Mannar biodiversity includes 100 different Echinoderms, 260 species of Gastropods, 450 species of fishes, 70 species of Crustaceans, 150 species of Marine ornamental fishes, 12 species of Marine Mammals,34 species of Sea cucumbers and 12 species of sea snakes