The Biological Diversity of Mihintale with Special Reference to its Herpetofauna (Including Papers on Sri Lankan Herpetology)

About this book

This special edition of Lyriocephalus (Journal of the Amphibia and Reptile Research Organization of Sri Lanka) consists of two parts. Mihintale is noteworthy as the world's oldest wildlife sanctuary, established more than 2200 years ago. The first part is on Mihintale and consists of 22 papers of which 16 are on amphibians and reptiles of Mihintale. The second part is on general aspects of herpetology of the country and consists of 12 papers on amphibians and reptiles. See the table of contents for more details.

Contents

Part 1 Papers ensuing from Research Projects conducted by the Biology students of the Rajarata University, Mihintale during 2006-2009.
- Guest editorial: biodiversity of a dry zone forest
- Message by the dean, faculty of applied sciences

Amphibians
1. Amphibians and reptiles of the Rajarata University Campus Park, Mihintale
2. Notes on amphibians of Mihintale with special reference to the endemic bush frog Philautus regius

Reptiles
Agamids
4. Behavioral study of the common garden lizard Calotes versicolor versicolor (Daudin, 1802). (Reptilia: Agamidae)

Geckoes
5. The gecko diversity of the Mihintale Sanctuary Sri Lanka
6. Notes on the biology and the ecology of the endemic gecko Hemidactylus depressus (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) in the Mihintale Sanctuary, Sri Lanka
7. Ecology of Hemidactylus triedrus lankae (Reptilia: Gekkonidae), an endemic gecko inhabiting the premises of Rajarata University, Mihintale, Sri Lanka

Skinks
8. The scincid lizards (Squamata: Scincidae) of Mihintale with special reference to Lankascincus fallax
9. Some notes on Eutropis tammanna (Squamata: Scincidae) from Sri Lanka

Tortoises
10. Observations on Geochelone elegans (Reptilia: Testudinidae) (star tortoise) in the Mihintale Sanctuary

Road traffic mortality
11. The pattern of reptiles killed by road traffic on the Anuradhapura–Mihintale road

Knowledge and attitude towards herpetofauna
12. Socio-economic status of farmers, agrochemical use, and the herpetofauna inhabiting rice fields in Mihintale
13. Knowledge, attitude and practice towards amphibians and reptiles at Mihintale
14. Knowledge, attitude and traditional beliefs on geckoes at Mihintale
15. Knowledge and attitude towards scincid lizards (Squamata: Scincidae) by some inhabitants at Mihintale

Other vertebrates
Fresh water fishes
16. Biodiversity of fish and their conservation in selected water bodies of the Mihintale Sanctuary

Avifauna
17. Avifaunal diversity in the Mihintale Sanctuary of Sri Lanka

Mammals
18. Mammals of Mihintale: with special reference to the slender loris (Loris lydekkerianus nordicus) of Sri Lanka

Invertebrates
Land snails
19. Comparison of land snail diversity in selected habitats of Mihintale Sanctuary, Sri Lanka

Butterflies
20. Lepidopteran diversity and their host associations in the Rajarata University Campus Park, Mihintale

Flora
Vegetation
21. Medicinal plants of the Mihintale Sanctuary
22. Iplants in the Mihintale Sanctuary

Part 2 Papers on Sri Lankan herpetology
Amphibians
23. Amphibian diversity in the Giritale Nature Reserve, Sri Lanka
24. Observations of the habitat of Polypedates eques (Anura: Rhacophoridae)
25. Ramanella palmata (Anura: Microhylidae ): additional observations
26. First report of a tick attack on an amphibian (Duttaphrynus melanostictus: family Bufonidae) from Sri Lanka
27. Cases of possible direct effects of pesticides on amphibians and reptiles in plantation agriculture
28. Paraquat toxicity in early larvae of the endemic Sri Lankan hour-glass frog, Polypedates cruciger Blyth (1852)

Reptiles
Crocodiles
29. Recent observations of the mugger crocodile (Crocodylus palustris) at the Ruhuna National Park, Sri Lanka
30. The marsh crocodile (Crocodylus palustris) in human habitats in Ampara District, Sri Lanka

Snakes
31. Some observations on the wart snake Acrochordus granulatus (Schneider, 1799) (Squamata: Serpentes) in Sri Lanka
32. A new locality for the endemic colubrid Cercaspis carinata Kuhl, 1820; with a note on its behaviour when observed
33. Reptile diversity of selected habitat types in the northern part of the Giritale Nature Reserve, Sri Lanka

Geckoes
34. Geckoes in Sri Lanka: omens, lore, proverbs and traditional medicine

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