List of reptiles of Sri Lanka
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This is a list of reptiles of Sri Lanka.
The reptilian diversity in Sri Lanka is higher than the diversity of other vertebrates such as mammals and fish with 181 reptile species. All extant reptiles are well documented through research by many local and foreign scientists and naturalists. Sri Lankan herpetologist, Anslem de Silva largely studied the biology and ecology of Sri Lanka snakes, where he documented 96 species of land and sea snakes.[1] Five genera are endemic to Sri Lanka - Aspidura, Balanophis, Cercaspis, Haplocercus, and Pseudotyphlops.[2] Out of them only five of the land snakes are considered potentially deadly and life threatening to humans. Among snakes, 54 are endemic to Sri Lanka.[3] The total increased to 107 with new descriptions of Dendrelaphis, Rhinophis, Aspidura and Dryocalamus.[4][5][6][7]
Lizard diversity in the island has been documented and studied by many local scientists and researchers such as Imesh Nuwan Bandara,[8] Kalana Maduwage, Anjana Silva,[9] Rohan Pethiyagoda, and Kelum Manamendra-Arachchi.[10] There are 111 lizards known from Sri Lanka, with 17 newly discovered in 2006, and two more in 2016 and 2017.[11][12] One of species was discovered in 2019 from Ensalwatta, Matara.[13] In 2019, seven more endemic day geckos have been discovered by Suranjan Karunaratne and Mendis Wickramasinghe.[14][15] In December 2019, three more endemic geckos were discovered.[16] In May 2020, another endemic skink was discovered.[17] Three new day gecko species were discovered in 2021.[18][19]
Apart from them, Sri Lanka is home to two species of crocodiles,[20] and nine species of turtles.[21]
This is a list of reptiles found in Sri Lanka.
Order: Squamata - scaled reptiles[edit]
Suborder: Serpentes - snakes[edit]
Family: Acrochordidae - wart snakes[edit]
| Name | Binomial | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Wart snake
|
Acrochordus granulatus | Least concern |
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Family: Boidae - boas[edit]
| Common name | Binomial | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Sand boa
|
Eryx conicus |
Family: Pythonidae - pythons[edit]
| Common name | Binomial | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Indian rock python
|
Python molurus | Near threatened (largest snake in Sri Lanka) |
Family: Colubridae - colubers[edit]
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Family: Cylindrophiidae - pipe snakes[edit]
| Common name | Binomial | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Sri Lanka pipe snake
|
Cylindrophis maculatus |
Family: Elapidae - elapids[edit]
| Common name | Binomial | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Common krait
|
Bungarus caeruleus | |
| Sri Lanka krait
|
Bungarus ceylonicus | |
| Indian coral snake | Calliophis melanurus | |
| Blood-bellied coral snake | Calliophis haematoetron | |
| Indian cobra
|
Naja naja |
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Subfamily: Hydrophiinae - sea snakes[edit]
| Common name | Binomial | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Hook-nosed snake
|
Enhydrina schistosa | |
| Annulated sea snake
|
Hydrophis cyanocinctus | |
| Yellow sea snake | Hydrophis spiralis | |
| Ornate reef sea snake
|
Hydrophis ornatus | |
| Collared sea snake | Hydrophis stricticollis | |
| Persian Gulf sea snake | Hydrophis lapemoides | |
| Plain sea snake | Hydrophis inornatus | |
| Peter's sea snake | Hydrophis bituberculatus | |
| Russell's sea snake | Hydrophis obscurus | |
| Striped sea snake | Hydrophis fasciatus | |
| Slender sea snake | Hydrophis gracilis | |
| Spine-bellied sea snake
|
Lapemis hardwickii | |
| Shaw's sea snake | Lapemis curtus | |
| Yellow-bellied sea snake
|
Pelamis platura | |
| Jerdon's sea snake | Kerilia jerdoni | |
| Banded sea snake
|
Laticauda colubrina | |
| Viperine sea snake | Thalassophina viperina |
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Family: Typhlopidae - blind snakes[edit]
| Common name | Binomial | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Brahminy blind snake
|
Ramphotyphlops braminus | |
| Sri Lanka blind snake | Typhlops ceylonicus | |
| Lanka blind snake | Typhlops lankaensis | |
| Pied blind snake | Typhlops leucomelas | |
| Malcolm's blind snake | Typhlops malcolmi | |
| Jan's blind snake | Typhlops mirus | |
| Taylor's blind snake | Typhlops tenebrarum | |
| Veddha's blind snake | Typhlops veddae | |
| Violet blind snake | Typhlops violaceus |
Family: Uropeltidae - shield-tailed snakes[edit]
| Common name | Binomial | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Madurai shieldtail | Platyplectrurus madurensis | |
| Blyth's shieldtail | Rhinophis blythi | |
| Orange shieldtail | Rhinophis dorsimaculatus | |
| Drummond-Hay's shieldtail | Rhinophis drummondhayi | |
| Eranga Viraj's shieldtail | Rhinophis erangaviraji | |
| Hemprich's shieldtail | Rhinophis homolepis | |
| Striped shieldtail | Rhinophis lineatus | |
| Schneider's shieldtail | Rhinophis oxyrhynchus | |
| Cuvier's shieldtail | Rhinophis philippinus | |
| Phillip's earth snake | Rhinophis phillipsi | |
| Willey's shieldtail | Rhinophis porrectus | |
| Müller's shieldtail | Rhinophis punctatus | |
| Roshan Perera's shieldtal | Rhinophis roshanpererai | |
| Large shieldtail | Rhinophis saffragamus | |
| Deraniyagala's shieldtail | Rhinophis tricolorata | |
| Zig-zag shieldtail | Rhinophis zigzag | |
| Gray's earth snake | Uropeltis melanogaster | |
| Southern earth snake | Uropeltis ruhunae |
Family: Viperidae - vipers and pit vipers[edit]
| Common name | Binomial | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Russell's viper
|
Daboia russelii | |
| Saw-scaled viper
|
Echis carinatus | |
| Hump-nosed pit viper
|
Hypnale hypnale | |
| Highland hump-nosed pit viper
|
Hypnale nepa | |
| Lowland hump-nosed pit viper
|
Hypnale zara | |
| Amal's hump-nosed pit viper | Hypnale sp. Amal | Not given species validity yet. |
| Sri Lanka green pit viper
|
Trimeresurus trigonocephalus |
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Suborder: Lacertilia - lizards[edit]
Family: Agamidae - agamid lizards[edit]
| Common name | Binomial | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Common green forest lizard
|
Calotes calotes | |
| Painted-lipped lizard
|
Calotes ceylonensis | |
| Morningside lizard | Calotes desilvai | |
| Crestless lizard
|
Calotes liocephalus | |
| Whistling lizard
|
Calotes liolepis | |
| Manamendra-Arachchi's whistling lizard | Calotes manamendrai | |
| Black-lipped lizard
|
Calotes nigrilabris | |
| Garden lizard
|
Calotes versicolor | |
| Rough-horned lizard
|
Ceratophora aspera | |
| Erdelen's horned lizard
|
Ceratophora erdeleni | |
| Karu's horned lizard | Ceratophora karu | |
| Rhino horned lizard
|
Ceratophora stoddartii | |
| Leaf-nosed lizard
|
Ceratophora tennentii | |
| Pygmy lizard
|
Cophotis ceylanica | |
| Knuckles pygmy lizard
|
Cophotis dumbara | critically endangered |
| Hump-nosed lizard
|
Lyriocephalus scutatus | |
| Sri Lanka kangaroo lizard
|
Otocryptis wiegmanni | |
| Black-spotted kangaroo lizard
|
Otocryptis nigristigma | |
| Devaka's fan-throated lizard | Sitana devakai | |
| Fan-throated lizard
|
Sitana ponticeriana |
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Family: Chamaeleonidae - chameleons[edit]
| Common name | Binomial | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Indian chameleon
|
Chamaeleo zeylanicus |
Family: Gekkonidae - geckoes[edit]
| Common name | Binomial | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Sri Lanka golden gecko | Calodactylodes illingworthorum | |
| Alwis's day gecko | Cnemaspis alwisi | |
| Amith's day gecko
|
Cnemaspis amith | |
| Anslem's day gecko | Cnemaspis anslemi | |
| Butewa's day gecko | Cnemaspis butewai | |
| Cnemaspis clivicola | ||
| Dissanayaka's day gecko | Cnemaspis dissanayakai | |
| Gemunu's day gecko | Cnemaspis gemunu | |
| Godagedara's day gecko | Cnemaspis godagedarai | |
| Gotaimbara's day gecko | Cnemaspis gotaimbarai | |
| Gunasekara's day gecko | Cnemaspis gunasekarai | |
| Gunawardana's day gecko | Cnemaspis gunawardanai | |
| Hitihami's day gecko | Cnemaspis hitihami | |
| Kivulegedara's day gecko | Cnemaspis kivulegedarai | |
| Kohukumbura's day gecko | Cnemaspis kohukumburai | |
| Cnemaspis kallima | ||
| Kandamby's day gecko | Cnemaspis kandambyi | |
| Kandyan day gecko | Cnemaspis kandiana | |
| Kawmini's day gecko | Cnemaspis kawminiae | |
| Kotagama's day gecko | Cnemaspis kotagamai | |
| Kumarasinghe's day gecko | Cnemaspis kumarasinghei | |
| Latha's day gecko | Cnemaspis latha | |
| Lokuge’s day gecko | Cnemaspis lokugei | |
| Menike's day gecko | Cnemaspis menikay | |
| Molligoda's day gecko | Cnemaspis molligodai | |
| Nilgala day gecko | Cnemaspis nilgala | |
| Nandimithra's day gecko | Cnemaspis nandimithrai | |
| Cnemaspis pava | ||
| Phillip's day gecko | Cnemaspis phillipsi | |
| Deraniyagala's day gecko | Cnemaspis podihuna | |
| Cnemaspis pulchra | ||
| Cnemaspis punctata | ||
| Rajakaruna's day gecko | Cnemaspis rajakarunai | |
| Rammale day gecko | Cnemaspis rammalensis | |
| Ranwella's day gecko | Cnemaspis ranwellai | |
| Retigala day gecko | Cnemaspis retigalensis | |
| Samanala day gecko | Cnemaspis samanalensis | |
| Rocky day gecko | Cnemaspis scalpensis | |
| Forest day gecko | Cnemaspis silvula | |
| Rough-bellied day gecko
|
Cnemaspis tropidogaster | |
| Upendra's day gecko | Cnemaspis upendrai | |
| Slender-headed bent-toed gecko | Cyrtodactylus cracens | |
| Taylor's bent-toed gecko | Cyrtodactylus edwardtaylori | |
| Bridled bent-toed gecko | Cyrtodactylus fraenatus | |
| Ramboda bent-toed gecko | Cyrtodactylus ramboda | |
| Knuckles bent-toed gecko | Cyrtodactylus soba | |
| Sinharaja bent-toed gecko | Cyrtodactylus subsolanus | |
| spotted ground gecko | Geckoella triedrus | |
| Blotched ground gecko | Geckoella yakhuna | |
| Four-clawed gecko
|
Gehyra mutilata | |
| Brooke's house gecko
|
Hemidactylus brookii | |
| Kandyan gecko
|
Hemidactylus depressus | |
| Asian house gecko
|
Hemidactylus frenatus | |
| Spotted giant gecko | Hemidactylus hunae | |
| Termite hill gecko
|
Hemidactylus lankae | |
| Bark gecko
|
Hemidactylus leschenaultii | |
| Spotted house gecko
|
Hemidactylus parvimaculatus | |
| Hemidactylus pieresii | ||
| Flat-tailed gecko
|
Hemidactylus platyurus | |
| Scaly gecko
|
Hemidactylus scabriceps | |
| Indopacific tree gecko
|
Hemiphyllodactylus typus | |
| Mourning gecko
|
Lepidodactylus lugubris |
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Family: Lacertidae - wall lizards[edit]
| Common name | Binomial | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Leschenault's snake-eyed lizard
|
Ophisops leschenaultii | |
| Lesser snake-eyed lizard | Ophisops minor |
Family: Scincidae - skinks[edit]
| Common name | Binomial | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Four-toed skink | Chalcidoseps thwaitesii | |
| Haly's tree skink | Dasia haliana | Endangered |
| Deignan's Lanka skink | Lankascincus deignani | |
| Deraniyagala's Lanka skink
|
Lankascincus deraniyagalae | |
| Lankascincus dorsicatenatus | ||
| Common supple skink | Lankascincus fallax | |
| Gan's Lanka skink
|
Lankascincus gansi | |
| Greer's Lanka skink | Lankascincus greeri | |
| Lankascincus megalops | ||
| Munindradasa's Lanka skink | Lankascincus munindradasai | |
| Sameera's Lanka skink | Lankascincus sameerai | |
| Adam's Peak Lanka skink | Lankascincus sripadensis | |
| Smooth Lanka skink | Lankascincus taprobanense | Near threatened |
| Taylor's Lanka skink | Lankascincus taylori | |
| Spotted supple skink
|
Lygosoma punctata | |
| Sri Lanka supple skink | Lygosoma singha | Data deficient |
| Beddome's skink | Eutropis beddomii | |
| Bibron's skink | Eutropis bibroni | |
| Keeled Indian mabuya
|
Eutropis carinata | |
| Taylor's striped mabuya | Eutropis floweri | |
| Bronze mabuya
|
Eutropis macularia | |
| Sri Lanka bronze mabuya | Eutropis madaraszi | |
| Tammanna skink | Eutropis tammanna | |
| Smith's snake skink | Nessia bipes | |
| Three-toed snake skink | Nessia burtonii | |
| Deraniyagala's snake skink | Nessia deraniyagalai | |
| Two-toed snake skink | Nessia didactyla | |
| Shark-headed snake skink | Nessia hickanala | |
| Layard's snake skink | Nessia layardi | |
| Toeless snake skink | Nessia monodactyla | |
| Sarasins' snake skink | Nessia sarasinorum | |
| Dussumier's litter skink
|
Sphenomorphus dussumieri | |
| Sphenomorphus striatopunctatum |
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Family: Varanidae - monitor lizards[edit]
| Common name | Binomial | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Bengal monitor
|
Varanus bengalensis | Least concern |
| Water monitor
|
Varanus salvator | Least concern |
Order: Crocodilia - crocodiles[edit]
Family: Crocodylidae - true crocodiles[edit]
| Common name | Binomial | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Mugger crocodile
|
Crocodylus palustris | Vulnerable |
| Saltwater crocodile
|
Crocodylus porosus | Least concern |
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Order: Testudines - turtles[edit]
Family: Bataguridae - Asian terrapins[edit]
| Common name | Binomial | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Indian black turtle
|
Melanochelys trijuga | Near threatened |
Family: Cheloniidae - sea turtles[edit]
| Common name | Binomial | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Loggerhead sea turtle
|
Caretta caretta | Endangered |
| Green sea turtle
|
Chelonia mydas | Endangered |
| Hawksbill sea turtle
|
Eretmochelys imbricata | Critically endangered |
| Olive ridley sea turtle
|
Lepidochelys olivacea | Vulnerable |
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Family: Dermochelyidae - leatherback turtles[edit]
| Common name | Binomial | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Leatherback sea turtle
|
Dermochelys coriacea | Vulnerable |
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Family: Emydidae - American hard-shelled turtles[edit]
| Common name | Trinomial | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Red-eared slider
|
Trachemys scripta elegans | Near threatened |
Family: Testudinidae - tortoises[edit]
| Common name | Binomial | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Indian star tortoise
|
Geochelone elegans | Least concern |
Family: Trionychidae - softshells[edit]
| Common name | Binomial | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Sri Lankan flapshell turtle | Lissemys ceylonensis | Least concern |
References[edit]
- ^ "Snakes in Sri Lanka". Amazing lanka. 2 March 2014. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
- ^ "Genus-level phylogeny of snakes reveals the origins of species richness in Sri Lanka". Novataxa. 11 February 2013. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
- ^ "poisonous snakes in Sri Lanka". poisonous snakes in Sri Lanka blog. 28 November 2009. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
- ^ "Genus-level phylogeny of snakes reveals the origins of species richness in Sri Lanka". Zootaxa. 11 February 2013. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
- ^ "A new species of Aspidura Wagler, 1830 (Squamata: Colubridae: Natricinae) from Knuckles, World Heritage Site, Sri Lanka". Biotaxa. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
- ^ "A new species of Dryocalamus (Serpentes: Colubridae) endemic to the rainforests of southwestern Sri Lanka". zootaxa.4748.2.2. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
- ^ "A new species of Dendrelaphis Boulenger, 1890 (Reptilia: Colubridae) from the wet zone of Sri Lanka with a redescription of Dendrelaphis bifrenalis (Boulenger, 1890)" (PDF). Taprobanica. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
- ^ "Endemic Agamid Lizards of Sri Lanka". Sri Lanka Endemics. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
- ^ "Hemipeneal Morphology of Sri Lankan Dragon Lizards" (PDF). Ceylon Journal of Science. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
- ^ "Kelum Manamendra-Arachchi". Google Scholar. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
- ^ "A Rock Dwelling Day-Gecko (Gekkonidae: Cnemaspis) from Salgala, an unprotected Lowland Rainforest in Sri Lanka". Zootaxa. 14 September 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
- ^ "A New Species of Cnemaspis (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Knuckles Range of Sri Lanka". Zootaxa. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
- ^ "A new species of endemic day gecko (Reptilia: Gekkonidae: Cnemaspis) from a wet zone forest in the second peneplain of Southern Sri Lanka" (PDF). Amphibian & Reptile Conservation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2019. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
- ^ "Integrative taxonomy reveals six new species of day geckos of the genus Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Reptilia:Squamata: Gekkonidae) from geographically-isolated hill forests in Sri Lanka". Vertebrate Zoology. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
- ^ "A new species of dwarf day gecko (Reptilia: Gekkonidae: Cnemaspis) from lower-elevations of Samanala Nature Reserve in Central massif, Sri Lanka" (PDF). Amphibian & Reptile Conservation. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
- ^ "Three new species of day geckos (Reptilia: Gekkonidae: Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887) from isolated granite cave habitats in Sri Lanka" (PDF). Journal of Amphibian & Reptile Conservation. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
- ^ "A new species of Lankascincus Greer, 1991 (Reptilia: Scincidae) with an overview of the L. gansi group" (PDF). Taprobanica. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- ^ Karunarathna, Suranjan; De Silva, Anslem; Gabadage, Dinesh; Botejue, Madhava; Madawala, Majintha; Ukuwela, Kanishka D.B. (2021). "A new species of day gecko (Reptilia, Gekkonidae, Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887) from Sri Lanka with an updated ND2 gene phylogeny of Sri Lankan and Indian species". Zoosystematics and Evolution. 97: 191–209. doi:10.3897/zse.97.60099. S2CID 233441919. Retrieved 2021-03-21.
- ^ Departemen Biologi, Fakultas Matematika dan Ilmu Pengetahuan Alam, Universitas Indonesia, Kampus UI, Depok, 16424, Indonesia; Amarasinghe, A.A. Thasun; Karunarathna, Suranjan; Madawala, Majintha; de Silva, Anslem (2021-05-27). "TWO NEW RUPICOLOUS DAY GECKOS OF THE Cnemaspis alwisi GROUP (REPTILIA: GEKKONIDAE) FROM SRI LANKA". Taprobanica. 10: 23–38. doi:10.47605/tapro.v10i1.245. S2CID 236390650. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Crocodiles in Sri Lanka". Amazing lanka. March 2014. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
- ^ "Turtles and Tortoises of Sri Lanka". Amazing Lanka. 21 May 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
- ^ M. A. Smith (1943 ) The Fauna of British India Ceylon and Myanmar, Including the Whole of the Indo-Chinese Sub-Region