Distribution notes on the Endangered freshwater crab Ceylonthelphusa armata Ng (1995) (Crustacea: Brachyura: Gecarcinucidae) in Sri Lanka

There are 52 species of freshwater crabs in Sri Lanka and 51 of them are endemic. There are several species that are known only from a single locality. Ceylonthelphusa armata is such a species, and we have initiated a study to record the distribution of this species as its typical locality is heavily polluted at Kadugannawa. At present C. armata is known from six localities, and this information will be useful to facilitate the conservation of the species by assessing the Red List

The Distribution, Natural History and the Conservation Status of Batrachostomus Moniliger (Aves: Podargidae) in Last Two Decades from Sri Lanka

The Sri Lanka frogmouth (Batrachostomus moniliger) is a small-sized nocturnal bird largely restricted to tropical lowland forests with thick undergrowth. The motionless roosting posture as well as their plumage coloration and color patterns (which resemble that of tree stems and branches) enable them to camouflage and thereby avoid predation. Through opportunistic field surveys over a 20-year period (January 1998-February 2018), we surveyed different bioclimatic regions of Sri Lanka covering 500 sites, and documented presence of Sri Lankan frogmouth in 83 of sites. In these 83 sites, we recorded 136 birds including seven nesting pairs and chicks. Our survey confirmed frogmouth presence in four floristic regions of Sri Lanka, particularly from lower elevations (11-767 m). Most sightings were made in lowland rainforests while savannah woodlands had the least number of records; no frogmouths were recorded inside anthropocentric land-cover types such as commercial-scale farmlands or plantations. According to the habitat suitability model we constructed (MaxEnt-based), much of the lowland wet zone, particularly the southwestern corner, was predicted as the most suitable areas for Sri Lankan Frogmouth while the northeastern coastal plains, and the mid-western and northwestern parts of Sri Lanka seemed least suitable. According to The Maxent model’s internal jackknife test of variable importance, temperature seasonality is the most important predictor of frogmouth’s distribution. Sri Lanka frogmouths have a high fidelity for their roosting sites as they remained in the same tree at least for a week; preferred roosting trees were medium-sized Dicot species with a dense canopy cover and variable canopy heights. These roosting sites are relatively cool, humid with little exposure to direct sunlight. Both roosting and nesting trees were relatively isolated from neighboring canopy trees, thus, the understory surrounding the roosting tree was dense. Six of the nesting sites observed were located in the lowland wet zone rainforests while the other was in savannah woodlands of the intermediate zone. These nests were positioned approximately 66% of maximum canopy height of the host tree. Nests were constructed on relatively thin branches that formed an acute angle against the main stem. These nests are shallow, circular-shaped pads. The nest interior was cushioned with cotton, parts of fishtail palm, and down feathers while the nest exterior contained pieces of lichens and tree bark. Sri Lanka Frogmouth’s home ranges appeared to be very small in nesting season, a maximum of 60 m radius area around the roosting site. Both male and female birds alternate nest-guarding duties through most of the night-time. The major threat for the frogmouth in Sri Lanka includes habitat loss due to expansion of commercial-scale agriculture and monoculture plantations, illicit forest encroachments, and clear-cutting.Keywords: Ecology, Frogmouth, Habitat modeling, Nesting, Threat

Bioclimatic Envelopes for Two Bat Species from a Tropical Island: Insights on Current and Future Distribution from Ecological Niche Modeling

Bats perform critical ecosystem functions, including the pollination, seed dispersal, and regulation of invertebrate populations. Yet, bat populations are declining worldwide primarily due to habitat loss and other anthropogenic stressors. Thus, studies on bat ecology, particularly on environmental determinants of bat occupancy, are paramount to their conservation. High mobility, nocturnal behavior, and roosting site selection of bats make conventional surveys challenging. Moreover, little is known about geographic distribution, habitat suitability, and responses to climate change among tropical bat species. To bridge these research gaps, we applied ecological niche modeling to two Ceylonese bat species, Kerivoula malpasi and Kerivoula picta, to map their geographic distribution. Seasonal variations in temperature and precipitation were critical environmental predictors of bat distribution in general. Southwestern lowland forests contained the most optimal habitats for the relatively wide-ranging Kerivoula picta, while the central highlands provided the most suitable habitats for the narrow-ranging Kerivoula malpasi. No tangible changes in the highly suitable habitats were evident in response to projected climate change for either species. Yet, the optimal ranges of K. malpasi can become fragmented in the future, whereas the most optimal habitats for K. picta are likely to become spatially contiguous in the future. Habitat availability or fundamental niche alone is insufficient to reliably forecast species persistence, thus we caution against considering these two bat species as resilient to climate change. Our findings will enable the conservation authorities to initiate preemptive conservation strategies, such as the establishment of landscape-scale habitat connectivity and management of buffer zones around conservation lands. We also encourage conservation authorities to employ ecological niche models to map potential species distributions and to forecast range shifts due to climate change

Avifaunal diversity in the peripheral areas of the Maduruoya National Park in Sri Lanka: With conservation and management implications

A survey was randomly conducted in the marginal areas of Maduruoya National Park, Sri Lanka for a period of > 7 years. These study sites are located within the dry zone and the intermediate zone. The main vegetation type of the area is dry mixed evergreen forest. We recorded 196 bird species belonging to 66 families, and they included 161 breeding residents, 25 purely migrants, nine both resident and migrants, one vagrant, 14 nationally threatened, three globally threatened, and 10 endemic species. We also report the first-ever records of Chestnut-backed Owlet, Red-faced Malkoha, and Spot-winged Thrush from this dry area. However, these precious habitats and its species are threatened because of irresponsible human activities such as forest fires, land filings, hunting, road kills, encroachments, garbage dumping, agrochemicals, granite-rock blasting, logging, and road constructions. Therefore, we recommend that relevant authorities take immediate conservation action to increase the protection of these marginal areas or buffer zone in the near future