v10i1.248

ISSN: 1800-427X (print)
eISSN: 1800-427X (online)
DOI:10.47605/tapro.v10i1.248

Submitted date: 20 December 2020
Accepted date: 10 May 2021
Published date: 27 May 2021
Pp. 54–57.

Ichthyofauna of Maben Wathurawa Swamp Forest, southwestern Sri Lanka

K.H.M.A. Deepananda*, K. Wewalwala, P.K.W.I.N. Rathnayake, H.M.V. Udayantha, G.A.T.K. Yomal, R.B.D.D. Senarathne, A.U. Kuragodage & S.U. Thuduwage
*E-mail: ashoka@fish.ruh.ac.lk

In Sri Lanka, the highest number of endemic and threatened freshwater fish species is found in the south-west and most records are from outside the protected area network. They may therefore be severely impacted by anthropogenic activities. Forested streams support higher fish biomass than non-forested streams, and almost all the endemics are strongly associated with shaded habitats. The Maben Wathurawa Swamp Forest, has been proposed as a forest reserve for several decades but there is no information available on the ichthyofaunal assemblages in that forest.

Section Editor: Upali S. Amarasinghe