It’s a big day and an honor for the department; Prof Pathmalal Manage assumed duties as the new Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Honorable Mahasangha and Prof. Sampath Amaratunge, Vice-chancellor of the Sri Jayewardenepura graced the event. In addition Deans of Faculties, Heads of Departments, academic members, administrative officials, non-academic members participated in the ceremony.
Department of Zoology delighted to welcome the newly appointed head, Prof. Dharshani Mahaulpatha, who took up her new role on 18th January 2019. All members of the department gathered the occasion to wish her every success. The department expecting an exciting term ahead !!
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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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.
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