2018 – Department of Zoology

20Dec

Systematic revision of Microhyla (Microhylidae) frogs of South Asia: a molecular, morphological, and acoustic assessment

Authors: Sonali Garg, Robin Suyesh, Abhijit Das, JiaTang Li, Nayana Wijayathilaka, A. A. Thasun Amarasinghe, Farits Alhadi, Kumar K Vineeth, N.A. Aravind, Gayani Senevirathne, Madhava Meegaskumbura, SD Biju.

Journal: Vertebrate Zoology

This study presents a systematic revision of South Asian members of the taxonomically challenging genus Microhyla Tschudi, 1838. Species relationships and diagnostic characters are determined by integrating molecular, morphological, and acoustic approaches, through which we also recognize six groups of closely related species. In addition, a new species from the southern Western Ghats of India is formally described as Microhyla darreli sp. nov. Species accounts of all the 16 recognized members from South Asia include current taxonomic status, metric and meristic characters, divergence in mitochondrial DNA, phylogenetic relationships, acoustic characters, revised geographical distributions, and natural history notes.

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17Dec

Publications

Microbial Degradation of Nitrate: Put Microbes to Work

Authors: N.D. Gunasekara, F.S. Idroos, Pathmalal M Manage
Journal: Environment and Natural Resources Journal

Three nitrate degrading bacteria, namely S1, S2 and S3 strains, were isolated from soil samples collected from agricultural sites at Polonnaruwa, Oruwala and Gampaha, Sri Lanka respectively. Among the isolated strains, S1 showed a maximum nitrate removal rate of 4.20±0.08 mg/L/day whereas S2 and S3 showed nitrate removal rates of 3.45±0.57 mg/L/day and 3.72±0.19 mg/L/day, respectively.

Integrating bioacoustics, DNA barcoding and niche modeling for frog conservation – The threatened balloon frogs of Sri Lanka

Authors: Nayana Wijayathilaka, Gayani Senevirathne, Champika Bandara, Sanath Rajapakse, Rohan Pethiyagoda, Madhava Meegaskumbura

Journal: Global Ecology and Conservation

We integrate three techniques, bioacoustics (call), niche modeling and DNA barcoding as a test case to investigate how the combination of these methods can enhance search efficiency for previously unknown populations, especially for those species that are threatened. As a focal group, we considered a clade in the genus Uperodon earlier referred to as Ramanella, represented by four endemic species in Sri Lanka. The work published in the journal Global Ecology and Conservation.

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