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 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.
We describe a new species, Aspidura desilvai sp. nov., closely resembling A. trachyprocta and the last addition to the genus A. ravanai, from Knuckles massif, Matale District, of Sri Lanka. The species represents the ninth species of the genus known from Sri Lanka, and is readily distinguished from all other congeners by its colour pattern, the scale nature in the ischiadic region, and morphometric characteristics specially from its ratio between the snout to eye distance to its eye width. The species is currently known only from the type locality.
Nannophrys marmorata is a critically endangered species of frog known only from a few locations in the Knuckles Conservation Forest (KCF) in the Knuckles mountain range of Sri Lanka. Here, we report new localities outside its known range in the KCF and examine the distribution of N. marmorata providing the most extensive distribution map for this species. Furthermore, using the distribution information, we model the fundamental ecological niche of this species through Ecological Niche Modeling (ENM) to predict suitable habitats and fine-scale distribution patterns. ENM predicted eastern slopes of the Knuckles mountain range in central Sri Lanka as areas with high habitat suitability (suitability 75%) for N. marmorata. Predicted Extent of Occurrence for N. marmorata was 831 km2 and predicted Area of Occupancy was 275 km2. We discuss these findings in light of conservation for this species threatened with extinction.
COVID-19 resulted in school closures on a global scale. However, the most significant closures appear to be in North America. Educational disruption is anticipated to impact educational attainment in terms of drop-out rates but more significantly with respect to exacerbating pre-pandemic educational inequity and corresponding poverty. This discussion evaluates the impact of COVID-19 on the United States through a case-study review of Sri Lanka, Turkey, and Latvia. The case studies highlight that poor and marginalized populations irrespective of geography are vulnerable to economic shocks. Further, COVID-19 has prompted greater transparency of the inequities faced by marginalized groups and by doing so, increased the visibility of the need for intervention. Through an evaluation of literacy, the discussion addresses the impact of normalized US racism on educational equity and economic growth and highlights how a legacy of race-based policies may impact the resiliency of the United States specific to the present pandemic.
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