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Cnemaspis Kotagamai
''Cnemaspis kotagamai'', or Kotagama's day gecko, is a species of diurnal gecko endemic to island of Sri Lanka, described in 2019 from Ratnapura. Etymology The specific name ''kotagamai'' is named in honor of renowned and leading ornithologist Prof. Sarath Kotagama, for his contributions to the biodiversity conservation and management in Sri Lanka. Taxonomy The species is closely related to ''C. ingerorum'' and ''C. kallima'' morphological aspects. Ecology The species was discovered from a granite cave in Bambaragala forest, Pallebedda, Ratnapura. Description Snout-to-vent length is 29.8 mm in adult male. Granular scales are weakly keeled. Chin, gular, pectoral, and abdominal scales are smooth. There are 114–119 paravertebral granules. One precloacal pore is present. In males, 4–5 femoral pores are present. Median row of subcaudal scales In snakes, the subcaudal scales are the enlarged plates on the underside of the tail.Wright AH, Wright AA. 1957. Handbook of Sna ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anslem De Silva
Kongahage Anslem Lawrence de Silva ( si, ඇන්ස්ලම් ද සිල්වා; born 1 August 1940) is a Sri Lankan biologist and herpetologist recognised as the father of modern herpetology in Sri Lanka. His career spanned for more than five decades; de Silva has contributed to the field of zoology with much research and numerous publications particularly on crocodiles, snakes and lizards. De Silva is known for conservation of crocodiles in Sri Lanka. He is the regional chairman of the Crocodile Specialists Group of the IUCN, South Asia and Iran. Personal life He was born on 1 August 1940 in Matara. He completed education from St. Servatius College, Matara. Before entering the field of biology, de Silva was a renowned magician. He won two national awards at All Island Magic Competition and conducted massive shows from Matara to Jaffna. He also published 22 papers on magic. His son Panduka de Silva is also a naturalist where he worked in Andaman Islands on crocodiles ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mendis Wickramasinghe
L. J. Mendis Wickramasinghe is a Sri Lankan herpetologist, taxonomist, naturalist ,wildlife photographer. Inspired by a childhood passion on snakes and by the diversity of his motherland, he has spent over two decades experiencing the forests across Sri Lanka. Biography Wickramasinghe was born in Kalutara, 6 May 1976, and educated in Tissa Central College. He was employed as an Ecologist at the Sri Lanka Program of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for nearly seven years (2000-2007). Mendis formed the Herpetological Foundation of Sri Lanka (HFS) in year 2007, to further pursue in independent research on the herpetofauna of Sri Lanka, and also provide a platform for young herpetologists to initiate research. Professional experience With over 25 years of field research experience on the herpetofauna of Sri Lanka, his work has focused on taxonomic identification and biodiversity assessment of reptiles and amphibians in an effort to increase awareness o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gecko
Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from . Geckos are unique among lizards for their vocalisations, which differ from species to species. Most geckos in the family Gekkonidae use chirping or clicking sounds in their social interactions. Tokay geckos (''Gekko gecko'') are known for their loud mating calls, and some other species are capable of making hissing noises when alarmed or threatened. They are the most species-rich group of lizards, with about 1,500 different species worldwide. All geckos, except species in the family Eublepharidae lack eyelids; instead, the outer surface of the eyeball has a transparent membrane, the cornea. They have a fixed lens within each iris that enlarges in darkness to let in more light. Since they cannot blink, species without eyelids generally lick t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, and southeast of the Arabian Sea; it is separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. Sri Lanka shares a maritime border with India and Maldives. Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is its legislative capital, and Colombo is its largest city and financial centre. Sri Lanka has a population of around 22 million (2020) and is a multinational state, home to diverse cultures, languages, and ethnicities. The Sinhalese are the majority of the nation's population. The Tamils, who are a large minority group, have also played an influential role in the island's history. Other long established groups include the Moors, the Burghers ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ratnapura District
Ratnapura ( Sinhala: රත්නපුර දිස්ත්රික්කය, Tamil: இரத்தினபுரம் மாவட்டம்) is a district of Sri Lanka in the Sabaragamuwa Province. The gem-mining centre of Sri Lanka is also a major crossroad between southern plains and the hill country to the east. A bustling market city servicing most of the surrounding towns. Many of the prominent gem dealers in Sri Lanka operate from this town. There is a route to Sri Pada from Ratnapura direction. Excursions include Sinharaja Forest Reserve and Udawalawe National Park. The surrounding area is a popular trekking destination and a good place for bird watching. Religion The majority of the population are Buddhists. Other religions include Hinduism, Islam and Christianity.Department of Census and StatisticThe Census of Population and Housing of Sri Lanka-2011/ref> Major cities * Ratnapura (Municipal Council) Large towns * Balangoda (Urban Council) * Embili ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ornithologist
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and the aesthetic appeal of birds. It has also been an area with a large contribution made by amateurs in terms of time, resources, and financial support. Studies on birds have helped develop key concepts in biology including evolution, behaviour and ecology such as the definition of species, the process of speciation, instinct, learning, ecological niches, guilds, island biogeography, phylogeography, and conservation. While early ornithology was principally concerned with descriptions and distributions of species, ornithologists today seek answers to very specific questions, often using birds as models to test hypotheses or predictions based on theories. Most modern biological theories apply across life forms, and the number of scientists who i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sarath Kotagama
Vidya Jyothi Sarath Wimalabandara Kotagama ( si, සරත් විමලබන්ඩාර කොටගම) is a Sri Lankan ornithologist and environmentalist. He is a Professor Emeritus and former head of the Department of Zoology, University of Colombo. Education Kotagama obtained a BSc from the University of Colombo, and gained a PhD on the feeding and behavioral ecology of rose-ringed parakeet at the University of Aberdeen. Career Since 1974, Kotagama has lectured at the Department of Zoology, University of Colombo and at the Zoological Division, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Open University of Sri Lanka reaching Senior Lecturer - Grade I by 1997. Between 1989 and 1990 he served as Director of the Department of Wildlife Conservation on secondment. In 1997, he was appointed Professor of Environmental Science in the Department of Zoology, University of Colombo holding it until he gained Professor Emeritus status on retirement. He also served a tenure as Head of the Department ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Subcaudal Scales
In snakes, the subcaudal scales are the enlarged plates on the underside of the tail.Wright AH, Wright AA. 1957. Handbook of Snakes. Comstock Publishing Associates (7th printing, 1985). 1105 pp. . These scales may be either single or divided (paired) and are preceded by the anal scale. Related scales * Anal scale * Ventral scales See also * Snake scales Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more joints ... References {{Reflist Snake scales ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cnemaspis
''Cnemaspis'' is a genus of diurnal (day) geckos found in Asia. With over 100 species, it is one of the most diverse genera of geckos. Molecular phylogenies suggest that the two regional groupings may form distinct clades which are not each other's closest relatives. Description Species in this genus have slender, clawed digits which are cylindrical or depressed at the base (rarely dilated); the distal phalanges are compressed, forming an angle with the basal portion of the digits, the lower surface of which has a row of plates. Their bodies are more or less depressed, granular or tubercular above. Tail not compressed. Pupil circular; eyelid distinct all round the eye. Males with or without pre-anal or femoral pores. Species The Indian Subcontinent and Sri Lanka group *'' C. aaronbaueri'' Sayyed, Grismer, Campbell & Dileepkumar, 2019 *'' C. adii'' C. Srinivasulu, Kumar & B. Srinivasulu, 2015 – Adi's day gecko *'' C. agarwali'' Khandekar, 2019 – Agarwal's dwarf gec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Reptiles Of Sri Lanka
This is a list of reptiles of Sri Lanka. The reptilian diversity in Sri Lanka is higher than the diversity of other vertebrates such as mammals and fish with 181 reptile species. All extant reptiles are well documented through research by many local and foreign scientists and naturalists. Sri Lankan herpetologist, Anslem de Silva largely studied the biology and ecology of Sri Lanka snakes, where he documented 96 species of land and sea snakes. Five genera are endemic to Sri Lanka - ''Aspidura'', ''Balanophis'', ''Cercaspis'', ''Haplocercus'', and ''Pseudotyphlops''. Out of them only five of the land snakes are considered potentially deadly and life threatening to humans. Among snakes, 54 are endemic to Sri Lanka. The total increased to 107 with new descriptions of ''Dendrelaphis'', ''Rhinophis'', ''Aspidura'' and ''Dryocalamus''. Lizard diversity in the island has been documented and studied by many local scientists and researchers such as Imesh Nuwan Bandara, Kalana Maduwage, Anj ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Endemic Fauna Of Sri Lanka
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, the Cape sugarbird is found exclusively in southwestern South Africa and is therefore said to be ''endemic'' to that particular part of the world. An endemic species can be also be referred to as an ''endemism'' or in scientific literature as an ''endemite''. For example '' Cytisus aeolicus'' is an endemite of the Italian flora. '' Adzharia renschi'' was once believed to be an endemite of the Caucasus, but it was later discovered to be a non-indigenous species from South America belonging to a different genus. The extreme opposite of an endemic species is one with a cosmopolitan distribution, having a global or widespread range. A rare alternative term for a species that is endemic is "precinctive", which applies to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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