Sri Lanka is a tropical island situated close to the southern tip of India. It is situated in the middle of Indian Ocean. Because of being an island, Sri Lanka has rich endemic terrestrial and freshwater fauna, including vertebrates and several invertebrates.
Amphibian Phylum: Chordata Class: Amphibia
Amphibians are ectothermic vertebrates of the class Amphibia. They have soft glandular skin and live in all habitats of the world except for the ice caps. They complete an amphibious lifestyle where larval stages live in water and adults live on or closer to land. With their complex reproductive needs and permeable skins, amphibians are often ecological indicators.
Sri Lanka is host to over 120 species of amphibians, of which over 90 species are endemic to the country. The 85% of endemicity ratio makes Sri Lanka the country which has the highest amphibian endemism in Asia. During the past decade many more new amphibians have been found in Sri Lanka.
The first amphibian review in Sri Lanka in 1957 identified 35 species. In 1996 the number of amphibian species rose to 53 based on research of museum collections and also a field survey. More than 250 species were proposed based on this field survey by Rohan Pethiyagoda and Kelum Manamendra-Arachchi in 1998. However Madhava Meegaskumbura et al. revised the number to around 140 species, and the discovery of over "new" 100 species has been criticised. As at 2019, 122 descriptions of amphibian species have been published, with 113 endemics. Three caecilian species has been identified with one undescribed species.
Sri Lanka harbours three endemic genera, Adenomus, Nannophrys, and Lankanectes. Most of the new species are of the genus Philautus which was assigned to genus Pseudophilautus recently. Hence, there are no amphibians of the genus Philautus (sensu stricto) in Sri Lanka. Pseudophilautus pardus and P. maia, the species known only from collections made prior to 1876 are described as new species in 2007, but both are extinct. In April 2015, Mendis Wickrremasinghe et al. described another endemic Pseudophilautus species P. dilmah. In January 2019, the new species, P. conniffae was discovered in southern Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka has the highest percentage of extinct and threatened amphibian species in Asia. In the 20th century the country has lost 20% of its amphibians and more than half of the remaining species are on the verge of extinction. Of the world's 34 amphibian fauna that have gone extinct in the last 500 years, 19 are from Sri Lanka. Habitat loss is attributed as the main cause of threats while fragmentation, use of pesticides, and air pollution are among others.
Amphibian diversity of Sri Lanka Low vulnerabilityThreatenedExtinctInsufficient dataLeast concernNear threatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically endangeredExtinct in the wildExtinctData deficientNot evaluated
Order Anura: frogs Common name Species (authority) Endemicity Status Family Bufonidae: true toadsKandyan dwarf toadAdenomus kandianus(Günther, 1872)EndemicKelaart's dwarf toadAdenomus kelaartii (Günther, 1858)EndemicKotagama's dwarf toadDuttaphrynus kotagamai Fernando & Dayawansa, 1994EndemicCommon Indian toadDuttaphrynus melanostictusSchneider, 1799Noellert's toadDuttaphrynus noellertiManamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 1998EndemicFerguson's toadDuttaphrynus scaberSchneider, 1799 Marbled toadDuttaphrynus stomaticusLütken, 1862 Family Dicroglossidae: fork-tongued frogs Indian skipper frogEuphlyctis cyanophlyctis(Joshy, Alam, Kurabayashi, Sumida, and Kuramoto, 2009)Green pond frogEuphlyctis hexadactylus(Lesson, 1834)Jerdon's bullfrogHoplobatrachus crassus(Jerdon, 1853)Sri Lanka rock frog Nannophrys ceylonensis(Günther, 1868)EndemicGunther's streamlined frog Nannophrys guentheriBoulenger, 1882EndemicKirtisinghe's rock frog Nannophrys marmorataKirtisinghe, 1946 EndemicNayak rock frogNannophrys naeyakaiFernando, Wickramasingha & Rodrigo, 2007EndemicIndian burrowing frogSphaerotheca breviceps(Schneider, 1799)Sri Lanka burrowing frogSphaerotheca rolandae(Dubois, 1983)EndemicCommon Indian cricket frogMinervarya agricola(Jerdon, 1853) Montane frogMinervarya greenii(Boulenger, 1904)EndemicKirtisinghe's frogMinervarya kirtisingheiManamendra-Arachchi & Gabadage, 1994Endemic Family Microhylidae: narrow-mouthed frogsKarunaratne's narrow-mouthed frog Microhyla karunaratneiFernando & Siriwardhane, 1996EndemicMihintale red narrow-mouthed frogMicrohyla mihintaleiWijayathilaka, Garg, Senevirathne, Karunarathna, Biju & Meegaskumbura, 2016EndemicOrnate narrow-mouthed frogMicrohyla ornata(Duméril & Bibron, 1841)Sri Lanka rice frog Microhyla zeylanicaParker & Hill, 1949EndemicSri Lankan painted frogUperodon taprobanicus(Parker, 1934)Nagao's pug-snouted frog Uperodon nagaoi(Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2001)EndemicSri Lanka dot frogUperodon obscurus(Günther, 1864)EndemicHalf-webbed pug-snouted frog Uperodon palmatus(Parker, 1934)Endemic Rohan's globular frogUperodon rohani (Garg S, Senevirathne G, Wijayathilaka N, Phuge S, Deuti K, Manamendra-Arachchi K, Meegaskumbura M, Biju SD. 2018)EndemicMarbled balloon frog Uperodon systoma(Schneider, 1799) Family Ranidae: true frogsSri Lankan golden-backed frogIndosylvirana serendipiBiju et al., 2014EndemicGravenhorst's frogHydrophylax gracilisGravenhorst, 1829EndemicBronzed frogIndosylvirana temporalis(Günther, 1864)Endemic Family Nyctibatrachidae: robust frogsCorrugated water frogLankanectes corrugatus(Peters, 1863) EndemicLankanectes peraSenevirathne et al., 2018 Endemic Family Rhacophoridae: shrub frogsPseudophilautus abundusManamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005EndemicPseudophilautus adspersus(Günther, 1872)EndemicPseudophilautus altoManamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005EndemicPseudophilautus asankaiManamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005EndemicPseudophilautus auratusManamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005EndemicPseudophilautus bambaradeniyaiWickramasinghe et al., 2013EndemicPseudophilautus caeruleusManamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005EndemicPseudophilautus cavirostris(Günther, 1869)EndemicPseudophilautus conniffaeBatuwita, De Silva & Udugampala, 2019EndemicPseudophilautus cuspisManamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005EndemicPseudophilautus dayawansaiWickramasinghe et al. 2013EndemicPseudophilautus decorisManamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005EndemicPseudophilautus dilmah(Wickramasinghe, Bandara, Vidanapathirana, Tennakoon, Samarakoon & Wickramasinghe, 2015)EndemicPseudophilautus dimbullae(Shreve, 1940)EndemicPseudophilautus eximius(Shreve, 1940)EndemicPseudophilautus extirpoManamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005EndemicPseudophilautus femoralis(Günther, 1864)EndemicPseudophilautus fergusonianus(Ahl, 1927)EndemicPseudophilautus folicolaManamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005EndemicPseudophilautus frankenbergiMeegaskumbura & Manamendra-Arachchi, 2005EndemicPseudophilautus fulvusManamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005EndemicPseudophilautus hallidayiMeegaskumbura & Manamendra-Arachchi, 2005EndemicPseudophilautus halyi(Boulenger, 1904)EndemicPseudophilautus hankeniMeegaskumbura & Manamendra-Archchi, 2011EndemicPseudophilautus hoipolloiManamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005EndemicPseudophilautus hypomelas(Günther, 1876)EndemicPseudophilautus jagathgunawardanaiWickramasinghe et al. 2013EndemicPseudophilautus karunarathnaiWickramasinghe et al. 2013EndemicPseudophilautus leucorhinus(Lichtenstein, Weinland & Von Martens, 1856)EndemicPseudophilautus limbusManamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005EndemicPseudophilautus lunatusManamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005EndemicPseudophilautus macropus(Günther, 1869)EndemicPseudophilautus maia(Meegaskumbara et al., 2007)EndemicPseudophilautus malcolmsmithi(Ahl, 1927)EndemicPseudophilautus microtympanum(Günther, 1859)EndemicPseudophilautus mittermeieriMeegaskumbura & Manamendra-Arachchi, 2005EndemicPseudophilautus mooreorumMeegaskumbura & Manamendra-Arachchi, 2005EndemicPseudophilautus nanus(Günther, 1869)EndemicPseudophilautus nasutus(Günther, 1869)EndemicPseudophilautus nemusManamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005EndemicPseudophilautus newtonjayawardaneiWickramasinghe et al. 2013EndemicPseudophilautus ocularisManamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005EndemicPseudophilautus oxyrhynchus(Günther, 1872)EndemicPseudophilautus papillosusManamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005EndemicPseudophilautus pardus(Meegaskumbura, Manamendra-Arachchi, Schneider and Pethiyagoda, 2007)EndemicPseudophilautus pleurotaenia(Boulenger, 1904)EndemicPseudophilautus poppiaeMeegaskumbura & Manamendra-Arachchi, 2005EndemicPseudophilautus popularisManamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005EndemicPseudophilautus procaxManamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005EndemicPseudophilautus puranappuWickramasinghe et al. 2013EndemicPseudophilautus regiusManamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005EndemicPseudophilautus reticulatus(Günther, 1864)EndemicPseudophilautus rugatus(Ahl, 1927)EndemicPseudophilautus rusManamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005EndemicPseudophilautus samarakoonWickramasinghe et al. 2013EndemicPseudophilautus sarasinorum(Müller, 1887)EndemicPseudophilautus schmarda(Kelaart, 1854)EndemicPseudophilautus schneideriMeegaskumbura & Manamendra-Arachchi, 2011EndemicPseudophilautus semiruber(Annandale, 1913)EndemicPseudophilautus silusManamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005EndemicPseudophilautus silvaticusManamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005EndemicPseudophilautus simbaManamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005EndemicPseudophilautus singuMeegaskumbura & Manamendra-Arachchi, & Pethiyagoda 2009EndemicPseudophilautus sirilwijesundaraiWickramasinghe et al. 2013EndemicPseudophilautus sordidusManamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005EndemicPseudophilautus stellatus(Kelaart, 1853)EndemicPseudophilautus steineriMeegaskumbura & Manamendra-Arachchi, 2005EndemicPseudophilautus stictomerus(Günther, 1876)EndemicPseudophilautus stuartiMeegaskumbura & Manamendra-Arachchi, 2005EndemicPseudophilautus tanuMeegaskumbura & Manamendra-Arachchi, & Pethiyagoda 2009EndemicPseudophilautus temporalis(Günther, 1864)EndemicPseudophilautus variabilis(Günther, 1859)EndemicPseudophilautus viridisManamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005EndemicPseudophilautus zalManamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005EndemicPseudophilautus zimmeri(Ahl, 1927)EndemicPseudophilautus zorroManamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005EndemicCommon hour-glass tree frogPolypedates crucigerBlyth, 1852EndemicIndian tree frogPolypedates maculatus(Gray, 1834)Ranwella's spined tree frog Polypedates ranwellaiWickramasinghe, Munindrasasa & Fernando, 2012EndemicMontane hour-glass tree frogTaruga equesGünther, 1858EndemicMorningside hour-glass tree frogTaruga fastigoManamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2001EndemicLong-snouted tree frogTaruga longinasus(Ahl, 1931)Endemic
Order Gymnophiona: caecilians Common name Species (authority) Endemicity Status Family Ichthyophiidae: Asiatic tailed caeciliansCeylon caecilianIchthyophis glutinosus(Linnaeus, 1758)EndemicPattipola caecilianIchthyophis orthoplicatusTaylor, 1965EndemicLesser yellow-banded caecilianIchthyophis pseudangularisTaylor, 1965Endemic
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