Pseudophilautus stellatus (Kelaart 1853) has been rediscovered from the Peak Wilderness, Central Hills of Sri Lanka. The species, till now known only from its lost holotype, was the first shrub frog described from Sri Lanka, and had not been reported since then. It was thought to have become extinct for nearly 157 years, being the amphibian species "lost" for the longest amount of time. Here we designate a neotype from the material collected at what we consider its type locality, having considered characters of the lost holotype and provide a complete description. We have conducted a molecular phy-logenetic analysis, on which basis the species is well differentiated from all other Pseudophilautus sequenced so far, and placed in a clade together with P. femoralis, P. frankenbergi, P. mooreorum, and P. poppiae.

Eight new species of Pseudophilautus (Pseudophilautus bambaradeniyai, P. dayawansai, P. jagathgunawardanai, P. karunarathnai, P. newtonjayawardanei, P. puranappu, P. samarakoon, and P. sirilwijesundarai) were discovered as a result of a survey carried out to study the herpetofaunal diversity with the changes in elevation in the Sripada World Heritage Site (Peak Wilderness), Central Hills of Sri Lanka. Detailed descriptions of new species along with colour photographs and line drawings for each species are provided herein. The new species possess unique morphological characters and are well distinguishable from one another that could be easily identified in the field. The conservation status of all species described here, have been considered Critically Endangered, except for P. newtonjayawardanei, as all the new species are recorded from single locations, and their habitats are under severe threat.

A new species of rock dwelling gecko belonging to the genus Cnemaspis is described from Sri Lanka based on a suite of morphological features. The species is the largest of its genus described from Sri Lanka so far (snout-vent length 52-54 mm) and is the second largest of the Western Ghats-Sri Lanka Biodiversity Hotspot. It may be diagnosed in details of both scalation (ventrals186-207; mid-subcaudals large; absence of precloacal pores; 15 femoral pores on each side; 22-23 and 23-25 subdigital lamellae on finger IV and on toe IV, respectively; smooth scales on tail dorsum) and colouration (five prominent trilobate shaped cream markings pointing towards head and extending from neck to vent).The species is found in a unique habitat in the Rammalakanda Forest, where it is threatened by deforestation.

A new species of Cnemaspis, Cnemaspis rajakarunai sp. nov. is described and is the fourth rock dwelling species belonging to the genus known from Sri Lanka. The new species is readily distinguished from all other congeners by the following combination of characters: adult snout-vent length 36-40 mm; precloacal pores absent, large femoero-precloacal scales 22; femoral pores 7-8, enlarged femoral scales 6; ventral scales 146-186; supralabials (to midorbital position) 7; supralabials (to angle of jaws) 9; total lamellae on finger IV 19-22, shape of the basal lamellae on toe IV elliptical; and its unique colour pattern. The new species is recorded from Salgala Forest an unprotected lowland rain forest.

Ecological and environmental traits can influence avian escape behaviour but most data underpinning our current understanding relates to continental and temperate areas and species. We conducted a phylogenetically controlled comparative analysis of flight-initiation distance (FID) against a variety of environmental, behavioural and life history attributes for Sri Lankan birds (202 species; n = 2540). As with other studies, body mass was positively associated with FID, and longer FIDs occurred in areas where human population density was lower. We also found that the effect of human population density was more pronounced in larger birds. Birds that were in groups when approached tended to have longer FIDs. Unlike the findings of other comparative analyses, based mostly on continental, temperate populations, most other ecological variables did not feature in the best models predicting FID (time of year, breeding system, clutch size, habitat, migratory behaviour, development [altricial/precocial], elevation and diet). Thus, some associations (body mass and exposure to humans) may be universal, while others may not manifest themselves among tropical avifaunas. Further tropical datasets are required to confirm truly universal associations of environmental and ecological attributes and escape distances among birds. Significance statement Escape responses in birds are influenced by the environment in which they live, the conditions under which they face a threat and their own biological characteristics. The vast majority of our knowledge of avian escape behaviour is derived from continental, temperate species. We examined the environmental and ecological factors that shape flight-initiation distance (FID), the distance at which a bird reacts to an approaching threat (a walking human) by escaping, using 2540 observations of 202 bird species on a large tropical island—Sri Lanka. Several predictors of FIDs in birds are clearly influential for Sri Lankan birds: body mass, human population density and whether the bird is alone or in as group. However, many other putative predictors are not, suggesting that tropical island avifaunas may have different responses to approaching threats compared to their temperate continental counterparts.

A new species of Rhinophis, Rhinophis erangaviraji sp. nov. is described, the tenth species of the genus known from Sri Lanka. The new species is readily distinguished from all other congeners by its colour pattern and scalation. Morphometric analysis supports the distinction of the new species from the superficially similar R. blythii. The new species is known only from the Rakwana massif, where it has been collected in shady areas, within loose soil.

A new species of uropeltid snake, Rhinophis roshanpererai sp. nov., is described based on three specimens from Badulla District, Sri Lanka. The new species is distinguished from its congeners by the number of dorsal scale rows and ventral scales, a colour pattern that lacks pale stripes, and by having a very small tail shield with four or three prominent spines. Based on lack of records from similar habitats and elevations elsewhere in Sri Lanka, the new species likely has a very small range in the central highlands. The description of the new species brings the total nominal species of Rhinophis to 20, with four of the 16 Sri Lankan species having been described since 2009.

A new species of shrub frog Pseudophilautus dilmah is described from the Central Hills of Sri Lanka. This unique species is distinguished from all the other congeners from a combination of characters; snout rounded in lateral aspect, bluntly pointed in dorsal and ventral aspect, canthus rostralis rounded, vomerine teeth, lingual papilla and nuptial pads absent, dermal fringe distinct on inside of fingers III and IV, small blunt tubercles on metacarpal and ulnar folds, toes basally webbed, interorbital area smooth, upper eyelid prominent tubercles present, anterior and posterior dorsum without horny spinules but tubercles present, upper part of flank weakly granular, supratympanic fold distinct, prominent small calcar present at the distal end of the tibia, throat granular, chest and belly coarsely granular. Based on comparison of 16s rRNA gene we also show that the species is genetically distinct from other members of Pseudophilautus for which gene sequences are available. The high rate of deforestation and anthropogenic activities threaten this population in its natural habitat.