Discoveries
Calotes manamendrai
Dr. Kelum N. Manamendra-Arachchi
2. Calotes manamendrai
Amarasinghe & Karunarathna, 2014
Publication :
Amarasinghe AAT, DMSS Karunarathna & J Fujinuma (2014). A new species of agamid lizard of the genus Calotes from the Knuckles massif of Sri Lanka. Herpetologica 70 (3): 323–338.
Remarks :
We discovered Calotes manamendrai from a single site on the northern face of the Knuckles massif (~1000 m above sea level) of Sri Lanka. This species is distributed in Riverstone (1000m a.s.l.), Dumbanagala (1132m a.s.l.), Corbet’s Gap (1223m a.s.l.), Dawatagala (1344m a.s.l.), Dotalugala (1227m a.s.l.), Kalupahana (1002m a.s.l.), Kobonilagala (1191m a.s.l.), Loolwatte (1191m a.s.l.), and Kobonilla (1025m a.s.l.) of the Knuckles Massif. This species most closely resembles Calotes liolepis Boulenger, 1885, which is widely distributed in mid-elevations in the central highlands, lowland rain forests, and a few isolated moist forests in the dry zone of Sri Lanka.
Chena (shifting) cultivations, illegal harvesting of in- and above-ground resources, human-caused fires, soil erosion, and other forms of habitat destruction are all contributing to the loss and fragmentation of habitat in the Knuckles range. These threats to Calotes manamendrai could be exacerbated by the surrounding cardamom (Zingiberales: Zingiberaceae) cultivations that indiscriminately use pesticides.
Etymology:
The species epithet is an eponym Latinized in the genitive singular, honoring Kelum Nalinda Manamendra–Arachchi for his generous teaching and guidance in taxonomic studies for the first two authors as well as his remarkable contributions to herpetology, zooarchaeology, and biodiversity conservation in Sri Lanka.
English name: Manamendra-Arachchi’s Whistling Lizard
Sinhala (local) name: මනමේන්ද්ර-ආරච්චිගේ උරුවන්-කටුස්සා
Further readings:
Bahir, MM & KP Maduwage (2005). Calotes desilvai, a new species of agamid lizard from Morningside Forest, Sri Lanka. Pp. 381–392 In: Yeo, DCJ, PKL Ng & R Pethiyagoda (Eds.), Contributions to Biodiversity Exploration and Research in Sri Lanka. The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement 12.
Asela, MDC, KDB Ukuwela, IN Bandara, HKD Kandambi, TD Surasinghe & DMSS Karunarathna (2012). Natural history and current distribution patterns of Calotes liolepis Boulenger, 1885 (Reptilia: Agamidae: Draconinae) in Sri Lanka. Herpetotropicos 8: 39–47.
Chena (shifting) cultivations, illegal harvesting of in- and above-ground resources, human-caused fires, soil erosion, and other forms of habitat destruction are all contributing to the loss and fragmentation of habitat in the Knuckles range. These threats to Calotes manamendrai could be exacerbated by the surrounding cardamom (Zingiberales: Zingiberaceae) cultivations that indiscriminately use pesticides.
Etymology:
The species epithet is an eponym Latinized in the genitive singular, honoring Kelum Nalinda Manamendra–Arachchi for his generous teaching and guidance in taxonomic studies for the first two authors as well as his remarkable contributions to herpetology, zooarchaeology, and biodiversity conservation in Sri Lanka.
English name: Manamendra-Arachchi’s Whistling Lizard
Sinhala (local) name: මනමේන්ද්ර-ආරච්චිගේ උරුවන්-කටුස්සා
Further readings:
Bahir, MM & KP Maduwage (2005). Calotes desilvai, a new species of agamid lizard from Morningside Forest, Sri Lanka. Pp. 381–392 In: Yeo, DCJ, PKL Ng & R Pethiyagoda (Eds.), Contributions to Biodiversity Exploration and Research in Sri Lanka. The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement 12.
Asela, MDC, KDB Ukuwela, IN Bandara, HKD Kandambi, TD Surasinghe & DMSS Karunarathna (2012). Natural history and current distribution patterns of Calotes liolepis Boulenger, 1885 (Reptilia: Agamidae: Draconinae) in Sri Lanka. Herpetotropicos 8: 39–47.