REPTILE DIVERSITY OF A FRAGMENTED LOWLAND RAIN FOREST PATCH IN KUKULUGALA, RATNAPURA DISTRICT, SRI LANKA

A four month survey was undertaken to document the diversity and abundance of reptiles in the Kukulugala forest (KF) in the Ratnapura District, Sri Lanka. A total of 708 individuals belonging to 41 genera (~50%) and 13 families (~55%) were recorded. KF had high species diversity with 58 species, representing about ~28% of the total diversity of known reptiles of Sri Lanka. Of the recorded species, 11 (~19%) were threatened and 24 (~44%) are endemic to Sri Lanka. Endemic relict genera including Aspidura, Balanophis, Cercaspis, Lyriocephalus, Ceratophora, Lankascincus and Nessia were also recorded during the survey. Availability of varied microhabitats may be responsible for the observed high species diversity. Anthropogenic activities, particularly illegal logging and man-made forest fires, is threatening these habitats leading to reduction in reptile population and diversity.


Introduction
Sri Lanka, despite its small area of 65,610 km 2 , has an estimated population of 18.7 million people (IUCN SL, 2005). It is among the biologically richest countries in South Asia and is considered as a global biodiversity hotspot along with the Western-Ghats (Bossuyt et al., 2004;Gunatilleke et al., 1995;Gunawardene et al., 2007;Meegaskumbura et al., 2002). Its natural forest areas still constitute a little over 12% of the total land area (Tan, 2005) and favorable environmental factors such as high rainfall, humidity, and high density of undergrowth found in these areas support a rich diversity of herpetofauna (Karunarathna et al., 2008). However, the natural forests in the island are rapidly diminishing as a result of the expansion of settlements and agricultural land, leading to TAPROBANICA VOL. 02: NO. 02 adverse impacts on the rich biodiversity (Bambaradeniya et al., 2003;Giri & Chaturvedi, 2001). The loss of natural forests and other causes over the past 100 years, has led to the extinction of nineteen species of the frog genus Pseudophilautus, and one species each from the genera Adenomus and Nannophrys (Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda, 2005;Meegaskumbura et al., 2007).
According to the IUCN SL & MENR (2007) 16 species of reptiles in Sri Lanka (including 12 endemics) are critically endangered, 23 (including 16 endemics) are endangered, 17 (including 9 endemics) are vulnerable, 25 (including 15 endemics) are near threatened and 47 (including 37 endemics) are data deficient. Based on published sources, a total of 208 species of reptiles are recorded from Sri Lanka and 118 (56.7 %) are known to be endemic to the island (De Silva, 2006;Maduwage et al., 2009;Wickramasinghe & Munindradasa, 2007;. The Wet Zone forests of Sri Lanka harbor more than 60% of the indigenous herpetofauna of Sri Lanka (Bambaradeniya, 2006;De Silva, 1996). Furthermore, a high percentage of endemism can be seen in the southwest lowland forests where almost 90% of the endemic vertebrates are concentrated (Bambaradeniya et al., 2003;IUCN SL & MENR, 2007;Senanayake et al., 1977;Wijesinghe & Dayawansa, 2002). Previous studies have focused on the avian, butterfly and fish diversity of Kukulugala Forest, one of the fragmented forest patches in lowland Wet Zone Sri Lanka (Jayaneththi & Maduranga, 2004;Sirimanna, 2005). This study reports some preliminary data on herpetological diversity and the threats posed to the reptiles of Kukulugala. Its aim is to enhance the current knowledge of the biodiversity and conservation implications in this unique forest habitat.

Study Area
The Kukulugala Forest (KF) is situated within the Western boundary of Ratnapura District in Sabaragamuwa Province (Map 1); it is located 15 km away from Bulatsinhala town. The study area is located between 6° 38' 30.52" -6° 40' 51.00" N and 80° 15' 07.39" -80° 17' 35.25" E. The forest ecosystem, which also forms an important part of the forest cover of the Dumbara-Manana village (Sirimanna, 2005), covers an area of more than 600 acres within the Ayagama secretariat division and can be categorized as a lowland evergreen rain forest (Gunatilleke & Gunatilleke, 1990 (Karunarathna & Amarasinghe, 2007).
The general forest floor is covered with cascading large boulders and leaf litter. Kukulugala Mountain, also known as "Horanae Kanda" (Horana = traditional bugle, Kanda = mountain) in Sinhala language, is situated at an elevation of 705m a.s.l. The area supports a rich network of waterways which includes two waterfalls called "Ritigas Ella" and "Miyunu Ella" (Ella = fall). Among the number of small streams which start from this mountain, "Thaberum ela" and "Era-Handapana ela" (Ela = stream) are the major tributaries that flow throughout the year (Jayaneththi & Maduranga, 2004;Karunarathna et al., 2004). The average annual rainfall is around 3849 mm, with most rainfall occurring from December to May. The weather gradually becomes dry from July to October when the highest temperatures are recorded. The mean annual temperature in the KF is 28.7 °C with a maximum of 32 °C and a minimum of 24.3 °C. The study area is accessible via the Horana -Bulathsinhala road or via the Rathnapura -Panadura road (Jayaneththi & Maduranga, 2004

Materials and Methods
The present study was carried out during the period of November 2001 to February 2002. Fieldwork was conducted for a total of 20 days (9 hrs / day) over the 4 month study period. Each field visit comprised of four night and two day surveys per week (two field visits per month x 3 habitat). General area surveys were carried out in three elevation types (below <200m, between 200m -400m and >400m) and were sampled using 100 X 2 m transects (Table 1). Approximately an hour was spent at each of the 72 randomly selected transects that were located within the several habitat types found in the area. Surveys were conducted by both day and night. Flashlights were used at night.
The surveys were conducted by visual encounter survey (VES). All habitats such as water bodies, rock crevices, logs, trees, decaying vegetation and bushes up to 5 m, were thoroughly searched for the presence of reptiles and amphibians. All collected specimens were examined carefully and recorded before being released back into the same habitat. Specimens were examined using a 10× Triplet ® hand lens and all species and color morphs were photographed alive using a digital camera (Sony DHC H9). The species were identified using keys and guides provided by Deraniyagala (1953Deraniyagala ( , 1955, Das & De Silva (2005), De Silva (1980), De Silva (1990), Greer (1991), and Wickramasinghe & Somaweera (2003). Afterwards the same species were verified using keys and guides provided by Bahir & Maduwage (2005) Vogel & David (2006) and Wickramasinghe & Munindradasa (2007). Abundance was assessed according to the total number of individuals of each species recorded throughout the study period.

Discussion
According to the present survey the most abundant families were Colubridae (167 individuals, 23.6%) and Gekkonidae (140)  Melanochelys trijuga and Lissemys punctata are generally active during the rainy season and found in the vicinity of temporary water bodies. Calotes liolepis and Lyriocephalus scutatus are diurnal, arboreal lizards commonly found in undisturbed closed canopy forest. The litter dwelling Ceratophora aspera is easily camouflaged by the dark brown leaf litter in very shaded areas and is generally found in couples but during this survey only a single specimen was recorded. Otocryptis wiegmanni was generally found in shady places near streams, where some egg clutches were also recorded. They generally dig holes in the sandy soil into which they lay 3 -6 eggs at a time. During some night surveys groups of Cercaspis carinatus were observed digging the soil and feeding on the eggs of Otocryptis wiegmanni. This indicates that Cercaspis carinatus are social feeders. This behavior was also observed during a previous survey at Beraliya Mukalana forest (Karunarathna et al., 2008).

Shortcomings of the study
Most of the species were recorded after a shower of rain, particularly in the well-shaded canopy covered areas. Several species were also recorded within the well-wooded home gardens that were dominated by native plant species. As most of the sampling was conducted during the day time, the data collection was biased towards lizards. Had we spent equal time at these sites at night the snake species recorded would probably have been higher. Even diurnal snakes are most easily found at night while sleeping in vegetation where their camouflage is less effective in torch light.

Threats and Recommendations
It is evident that the KF provides suitable habitat, particularly for reptiles. Habitat loss and deterioration remain the dominant threat to KF reptile populations at the present time. Some areas of the KF are being felled to clear land for tea and rubber plantations. This poses a major threat not only for reptiles but also for the other flora and fauna of the area and its surrounds. In addition, the villagers kill snakes that have been incorrectly identified. This preliminary survey indicates that the KF has a high reptilian diversity. However, this study was conducted over a short period of time and therefore, it is recommended that further surveys are conducted over longer periods to truly assess the reptilian diversity in the area. (2007) criteria 4 (~7%) Endangered and 7 (~12%) Vulnerable species have been recorded in this study. This is a critical finding of KF. The slash and burn technique of shift cultivation involves intermittent clearing of a forest patch for agricultural practices, which destroys the habitat of several endemic and relict reptile genera (Gunatilleke et al., 1995). This and other human activities involving cutting of trees inside the forest will contribute to the decline of tree-dwelling reptiles, particularly those belonging to the genera Boiga, Calotes, Cnemaspis, Hemiphyllodactylus and Lyriocephalus that already show irregular distribution due to their habitat specificity.

Based on IUCN SL & MENR
It is recommended that awareness programs on managing the forest and its resources are conducted for the local communities that will in turn contribute to the protection of these species. An advantage of using members of the local communities in future monitoring is that it will help to raise awareness of the value of species and habitats. If this awareness can be integrated into conservation and management efforts, then the likelihood of its success will be higher than otherwise might be the case. Measures should also be taken to declare the KF as a Forest Reserve under the Forest Department due to its high diversity of endemic and threatened species. the manuscript and Jayantha Wattevidanage (OUSL) for guidance. We also like to thank Mendis Wickramasinghe (HFS) and Naalin Perera, (IUCN) for giving us literature and more comments. Finally we thank Thalagala Dhamma Gaveshi Thera, Ramyanath Sirimanna, Anushka Kumarasinghe, Tiran Abeywardena, Panduka Silva, late Sirikumara, Niranjan Karunarathna and Bandula Jayaneththi (YZA) for the helps during the field work in KF area in different ways.   Gunatilleke & Gunatilleke (1990) and Senaratna (2001)].

Lower area of KF (below 200m)
Mixed cropping with woody and non woody plants like Mangifera indika, Artocarpus heterophyllus, Dipterocarpus sp., Chaetocarpus sp., Myristica sp. and Cinnamomun sp. trees growing up to 25 m, shade is about 60%, and leaf litter content is high and moderately wet. Among the most abundant understorey tree species are Garcinia spp and Gyrinops spp. In the lowland forest area of KF are perennial flowing water bodies, 1m to 10m wide. Home garden also included rarely.