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Sri Lanka is a tropical island situated close to the southern tip of India. It is situated in the middle of Indian Ocean. Because of being an island, Sri Lanka has rich endemic terrestrial and freshwater fauna, including vertebrates and several invertebrates.
Amphibians are ectothermic vertebrates of the class Amphibia. They have soft glandular skin and live in all habitats of the world except for the ice caps. They complete an amphibious lifestyle where larval stages live in water and adults live on or closer to land. With their complex reproductive needs and permeable skins, amphibians are often ecological indicators.
Sri Lanka is host to over 120 species of amphibians, of which over 90 species are endemic to the country. [1] The 85% of endemicity ratio makes Sri Lanka the country which has the highest amphibian endemism in Asia. [2] During the past decade many more new amphibians have been found in Sri Lanka. [3]
The first amphibian review in Sri Lanka in 1957 identified 35 species. [4] In 1996 the number of amphibian species rose to 53 based on research of museum collections and also a field survey. More than 250 species were proposed based on this field survey by Rohan Pethiyagoda and Kelum Manamendra-Arachchi in 1998. However Madhava Meegaskumbura et al. revised the number to around 140 species, [5] and the discovery of over "new" 100 species has been criticised. [6] As at 2019, 122 descriptions of amphibian species have been published, with 113 endemics. [7] [8] Three caecilian species has been identified with one undescribed species.
Sri Lanka harbours three endemic genera, Adenomus , Nannophrys , and Lankanectes . [3] Most of the new species are of the genus Philautus which was assigned to genus Pseudophilautus recently. Hence, there are no amphibians of the genus Philautus (sensu stricto) in Sri Lanka. Pseudophilautus pardus and P. maia , the species known only from collections made prior to 1876 are described as new species in 2007, but both are extinct. [9] In April 2015, Mendis Wickrremasinghe et al. described another endemic Pseudophilautus species P. dilmah. In January 2019, the new species, P. conniffae was discovered in southern Sri Lanka. [10]
Sri Lanka has the highest percentage of extinct and threatened amphibian species in Asia. [2] In the 20th century the country has lost 20% of its amphibians and more than half of the remaining species are on the verge of extinction. Of the world's 34 amphibian fauna that have gone extinct in the last 500 years, 19 are from Sri Lanka. [3] Habitat loss is attributed as the main cause of threats while fragmentation, use of pesticides, and air pollution are among others.
| Low vulnerability | Threatened | Extinct | Insufficient data | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Common name | Species (authority) | Endemicity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Family Bufonidae: true toads | |||
| Kandyan dwarf toad | Adenomus kandianus (Günther, 1872) | Endemic |  |
| Kelaart's dwarf toad | Adenomus kelaartii (Günther, 1858) | Endemic |  |
| Kotagama's dwarf toad | Duttaphrynus kotagamai Fernando & Dayawansa, 1994 | Endemic | |
| Common Indian toad | Duttaphrynus melanostictus Schneider, 1799 |  | |
| Noellert's toad | Duttaphrynus noellerti Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 1998 | Endemic | |
| Ferguson's toad | Duttaphrynus scaber Schneider, 1799 | | |
| Marbled toad | Duttaphrynus stomaticus Lütken, 1862 | | |
| Family Dicroglossidae: fork-tongued frogs | |||
| Indian skipper frog | Euphlyctis mudigere (Joshy, Alam, Kurabayashi, Sumida, and Kuramoto, 2009) | | |
| Green pond frog | Euphlyctis hexadactylus (Lesson, 1834) | | |
| Jerdon's bullfrog | Hoplobatrachus crassus (Jerdon, 1853) | | |
| Sri Lanka rock frog | Nannophrys ceylonensis (Günther, 1868) | Endemic |  |
Gunther's streamlined frog  | Nannophrys guentheri Boulenger, 1882 | Endemic |  |
| Kirtisinghe's rock frog | Nannophrys marmorata Kirtisinghe, 1946 | Endemic | |
| Nayak rock frog | Nannophrys naeyakai Fernando, Wickramasingha & Rodrigo, 2007 | Endemic | |
| Indian burrowing frog | Sphaerotheca breviceps (Schneider, 1799) | | |
| Sri Lanka burrowing frog | Sphaerotheca rolandae (Dubois, 1983) | Endemic | |
| Common Indian cricket frog | Minervarya agricola (Jerdon, 1853) | | |
| Montane frog | Minervarya greenii (Boulenger, 1904) | Endemic | |
| Kirtisinghe's frog | Minervarya kirtisinghei Manamendra-Arachchi & Gabadage, 1994 | Endemic | |
| Family Microhylidae: narrow-mouthed frogs | |||
| Karunaratne's narrow-mouthed frog | Microhyla karunaratnei Fernando & Siriwardhane, 1996 | Endemic | |
| Mihintale red narrow-mouthed frog | Microhyla mihintalei Wijayathilaka, Garg, Senevirathne, Karunarathna, Biju & Meegaskumbura, 2016 | Endemic | |
| Ornate narrow-mouthed frog | Microhyla ornata (Duméril & Bibron, 1841) | | |
| Sri Lanka rice frog | Microhyla zeylanica Parker & Hill, 1949 | Endemic | |
| Sri Lankan painted frog | Uperodon taprobanicus (Parker, 1934) | | |
| Nagao's pug-snouted frog | Uperodon nagaoi (Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2001) | Endemic | |
| Sri Lanka dot frog | Uperodon obscurus (Günther, 1864) | Endemic |  |
| Half-webbed pug-snouted frog | Uperodon palmatus (Parker, 1934) | Endemic | |
Rohan's globular frog | Uperodon rohani (Garg S, Senevirathne G, Wijayathilaka N, Phuge S, Deuti K, Manamendra-Arachchi K, Meegaskumbura M, Biju SD. 2018) | Endemic | |
| Marbled balloon frog | Uperodon systoma (Schneider, 1799) | | |
| Family Ranidae: true frogs | |||
| Sri Lankan golden-backed frog | Indosylvirana serendipi Biju et al., 2014 | Endemic | |
| Gravenhorst's frog | Hydrophylax gracilis Gravenhorst, 1829 | Endemic | |
| Bronzed frog | Indosylvirana temporalis (Günther, 1864) | Endemic | |
| Family Nyctibatrachidae: robust frogs | |||
| Corrugated water frog | Lankanectes corrugatus (Peters, 1863) | Endemic | |
| Lankanectes pera Senevirathne et al., 2018 | Endemic |  |
| Family Rhacophoridae: shrub frogs | |||
| Pseudophilautus abundus Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005 | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus adspersus (Günther, 1872) | Endemic | |
| Pseudophilautus alto Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005 | Endemic | |
| Pseudophilautus asankai Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005 | Endemic | |
| Pseudophilautus auratus Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005 | Endemic | |
| Pseudophilautus bambaradeniyai Wickramasinghe et al., 2013 | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus caeruleus Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005 | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus cavirostris (Günther, 1869) | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus conniffae Batuwita, De Silva & Udugampala, 2019 | Endemic | |
| Pseudophilautus cuspis Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005 | Endemic | |
| Pseudophilautus dayawansai Wickramasinghe et al. 2013 | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus decoris Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005 | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus dilmah (Wickramasinghe, Bandara, Vidanapathirana, Tennakoon, Samarakoon & Wickramasinghe, 2015) | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus dimbullae (Shreve, 1940) | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus eximius (Shreve, 1940) | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus extirpo Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005 | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus femoralis (Günther, 1864) | Endemic | |
| Pseudophilautus fergusonianus (Ahl, 1927) | Endemic | |
| Pseudophilautus folicola Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005 | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus frankenbergi Meegaskumbura & Manamendra-Arachchi, 2005 | Endemic | |
| Pseudophilautus fulvus Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005 | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus hallidayi Meegaskumbura & Manamendra-Arachchi, 2005 | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus halyi (Boulenger, 1904) | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus hankeni Meegaskumbura & Manamendra-Archchi, 2011 | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus hoipolloi Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005 | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus hypomelas (Günther, 1876) | Endemic | |
| Pseudophilautus jagathgunawardanai Wickramasinghe et al. 2013 | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus karunarathnai Wickramasinghe et al. 2013 | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus leucorhinus (Lichtenstein, Weinland & Von Martens, 1856) | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus limbus Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005 | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus lunatus Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005 | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus macropus (Günther, 1869) | Endemic | |
| Pseudophilautus maia (Meegaskumbara et al., 2007) | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus malcolmsmithi (Ahl, 1927) | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus microtympanum (Günther, 1859) | Endemic | |
| Pseudophilautus mittermeieri Meegaskumbura & Manamendra-Arachchi, 2005 | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus mooreorum Meegaskumbura & Manamendra-Arachchi, 2005 | Endemic | |
| Pseudophilautus nanus (Günther, 1869) | Endemic | |
| Pseudophilautus nasutus (Günther, 1869) | Endemic | |
| Pseudophilautus nemus Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005 | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus newtonjayawardanei Wickramasinghe et al. 2013 | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus ocularis Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005 | Endemic | |
| Pseudophilautus oxyrhynchus (Günther, 1872) | Endemic | |
| Pseudophilautus papillosus Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005 | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus pardus (Meegaskumbura, Manamendra-Arachchi, Schneider and Pethiyagoda, 2007) | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus pleurotaenia (Boulenger, 1904) | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus poppiae Meegaskumbura & Manamendra-Arachchi, 2005 | Endemic | |
| Pseudophilautus popularis Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005 | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus procax Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005 | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus puranappu Wickramasinghe et al. 2013 | Endemic | |
| Pseudophilautus regius Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005 | Endemic |  | |
| Pseudophilautus reticulatus (Günther, 1864) | Endemic | |
| Pseudophilautus rugatus (Ahl, 1927) | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus rus Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005 | Endemic | |
| Pseudophilautus samarakoon Wickramasinghe et al. 2013 | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus sarasinorum (Müller, 1887) | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus schmarda (Kelaart, 1854) | Endemic | |
| Pseudophilautus schneideri Meegaskumbura & Manamendra-Arachchi, 2011 | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus semiruber (Annandale, 1913) | Endemic | |
| Pseudophilautus silus Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005 | Endemic | |
| Pseudophilautus silvaticus Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005 | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus simba Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005 | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus singu Meegaskumbura & Manamendra-Arachchi, & Pethiyagoda 2009 | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus sirilwijesundarai Wickramasinghe et al. 2013 | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus sordidus Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005 | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus stellatus (Kelaart, 1853) | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus steineri Meegaskumbura & Manamendra-Arachchi, 2005 | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus stictomerus (Günther, 1876) | Endemic | |
| Pseudophilautus stuarti Meegaskumbura & Manamendra-Arachchi, 2005 | Endemic | |
| Pseudophilautus tanu Meegaskumbura & Manamendra-Arachchi, & Pethiyagoda 2009 | Endemic | |
| Pseudophilautus temporalis (Günther, 1864) | Endemic | |
| Pseudophilautus variabilis (Günther, 1859) | Endemic | |
| Pseudophilautus viridis Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005 | Endemic | |
| Pseudophilautus zal Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005 | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus zimmeri (Ahl, 1927) | Endemic | | |
| Pseudophilautus zorro Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005 | Endemic | |
| Common hour-glass tree frog | Polypedates cruciger Blyth, 1852 | Endemic | |
| Indian tree frog | Polypedates maculatus (Gray, 1834) | | |
| Ranwella's spined tree frog | Polypedates ranwellai Wickramasinghe, Munindrasasa & Fernando, 2012 | Endemic | |
| Montane hour-glass tree frog | Taruga eques Günther, 1858 | Endemic | |
| Morningside hour-glass tree frog | Taruga fastigo Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2001 | Endemic | |
| Long-snouted tree frog | Taruga longinasus (Ahl, 1931) | Endemic | |
| Common name | Species (authority) | Endemicity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Family Ichthyophiidae: Asiatic tailed caecilians | |||
| Ceylon caecilian | Ichthyophis glutinosus (Linnaeus, 1758) | Endemic | |
| Pattipola caecilian | Ichthyophis orthoplicatus Taylor, 1965 | Endemic | |
| Lesser yellow-banded caecilian | Ichthyophis pseudangularis Taylor, 1965 | Endemic | |
Adenomus kandianus is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae endemic to Sri Lanka. It is a high-altitude species known only from few localities. The specific name kandianus means "from Kandy" and seems to suggest that the type material came from near the city of Kandy.
Pseudophilautus alto is a species of frogs in the family Rhacophoridae. It is endemic to the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka and known from the Horton Plains and Pattipola.
Pseudophilautus auratus, commonly called golden shrub frog, is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae, endemic to Sri Lanka.
Pseudophilautus dimbullae is an extinct species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It was endemic to Sri Lanka. It is only known from the holotype collected in 1933.
Pseudophilautus eximius is an extinct species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It was endemic to Sri Lanka. It is only known from the holotype collected in 1933.
Pseudophilautus extirpo, known as blunt-snouted shrub frog, is an extinct species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It was endemic to Sri Lanka. It is only known from the holotype collected in 1882. The specific name extirpo is Latin meaning "destroy" or "eradicate" and refers to the apparent extinction of this species.
Pseudophilautus halyi, known as pattipola shrub frog, is an extinct species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It was endemic to Sri Lanka. It is only known from the holotype collected in 1899. The specific name halyi honours Amyrald Haly, the first director of the Ceylon Museum, author of the "Natural History of Ceylon", and the collector of the holotype.
Pseudophilautus leucorhinus, also known as white-nosed shrub frog, pointed-nosed shrub frog, whitenose bubble-nest frog, and Marten's bush frog, was a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It was endemic to Sri Lanka. It is only known from the holotype that was collected some time before 1856 from the indefinite type locality "Ceylon". Pseudophilautus wynaadensis from southwestern India has been considered conspecific with this species, but these species are now considered distinct.
Pseudophilautus limbus, also known as Haycock shrub frog, is a species of frogs in the family Rhacophoridae. It is endemic to southwestern Sri Lanka, including its type locality, Haycock Hill (Hiniduma) Forest Reserve. The specific name limbus, from the Latin for "edge" or "border", refers to the species originally having been known only from the border of the Haycock Hill Forest Reserve.
Pseudophilautus nanus, known as southern shrub frog is an extinct species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It was endemic to Sri Lanka. This species is known to science only from the lectotype. There have been no records since the species was described in 1869, from material collected in southern Sri Lanka, so it is now believed to be extinct. Recent, extensive field surveys of the amphibian fauna of Sri Lanka have failed to rediscover this frog along with many other members of this genus.
Pseudophilautus silus, known as pug-nosed shrub frog is a species of frogs in the family Rhacophoridae. It is endemic to southern Sri Lanka and known from the both sides of the Horton Plains.
Pseudophilautus stictomerus is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It is endemic to Sri Lanka. It was first described by Albert Günther based on a single individual collected by Colonel Richard Henry Beddome from 'Ceylon'.
Pseudophilautus variabilis, also known as the variable bush frog or variable bubble-nest frog, is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. This now extinct species was endemic to Sri Lanka. Despite extensive searches in recent times, it is only known from collections prior to 1858. The reasons for its disappearance are unknown but probably involve habitat loss.
Pseudophilautus viridis, or the dull-green shrub frog, is a species of frogs in the family Rhacophoridae. It is endemic to Sri Lanka and occurs in the central hills of south-central Sri Lanka.
Pseudophilautus zal, commonly known as the white blotched shrub frog, is an extinct species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It was endemic to Sri Lanka. It is only known from the type series consisting of three old museum specimens.
Pseudophilautus zimmeri is an extinct species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae. It was endemic to Sri Lanka, where it was recorded from the vicinity of Galle. It is only known from the holotype that was used to describe the species in 1927. The specific name zimmeri honours Carl Wilhelm Erich Zimmer, a German zoologist. Common name Rumassala shrub frog has been coined for it.
Pseudophilautus zorro, the Gannoruwa shrub frog is a species of frogs in the family Rhacophoridae. It is endemic to central Sri Lanka.
Pseudophilautus pardus is an extinct species of Sri Lankan shrub frogs in the family Rhacophoridae. Despite extensive surveys in recent years, the species is known only from a collection made prior to 1858. The reason for its extinction is unknown but probably relates loss of forests.
Pseudophilautus semiruber, known as Annandale's shrub frog, is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae that is endemic to Sri Lanka.
Pseudophilautus simba is a species of frogs in the family Rhacophoridae endemic to Sri Lanka. It is only known from its type locality in the Morningside Forest Reserve, adjacent to the Sinharaja Forest Reserve, near Rakwana, southern Sri Lanka.
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