News

Study identifies distinct frog species not belonging to generic ‘hourglass’ classification

Published

6 years ago

2020/08/2

by Ifham Nizam

A study on the abnormalities and polymorphisms of amphibians found within and outside the Horton Plains National Park has identified a distinct frog species that does not belong to its generic “hourglass frog” classification.

The study was conducted by graduate research assistant Praneeth Silva of Sri Jayewardenepura University’s Department of Zoology under the supervision of Prof. W. A. D. Mahaulpatha, senior lecturer and head, Department of Zoology.

“Our study on amphibian abnormalities and causes found that Taruga eques species is faced with bigger threats in both localities in comparison to other amphibian species”, Silva told The Sunday Island.

Within and outside regions of the Sri Lankan Plains, habitat modifications due to human activities were the main threat on Taruga eques. The study also found that natural predators were the main cause for formation of amphibian abnormalities found within the Plains.

The study revealed a novel pattern polymorphism of Taruga eques in that a variety of the species without the hourglass was identified within and outside the Plains, indicating that the common name Taruga eques cannot be broadly classified as an “hour-glass frog”. At the end of the study, new six dorsal colour variations and five dorsal pigment patterns of Taruga eques could be newly introduced to the science.

Amphibian body colouration and pigment patterns play a vital role for their survival in the environment. Polymorp-hism (happening together in the same habitat of two or more distinct species results in rarest of them getting mutated to be like the main species) has probably led Taruga eques to be seen as hourglass tree frog though in reality the situation is likely to be rather different.

Silva said that a total of 694 amphibians belonging to four families and 11 species were recorded in five lentic water bodies which were studied. Five hundred and eleven (511) individuals were examined inside the Plains and 183 outside the region. Of the 511 individuals, only 4.5 percent of the amphibians had abnormalities. Of the 183 individuals examined outside the Plains, 80.87 percent had abnormalities.

Of the 511 inspected amphibians within the Plains, 0.59 percent suffered from ectromelia and four percent had cysts. Of the 183 amphibians examined outside the Plains, 80.33 percent had cysts and 0.55 percent had femoral projections. Cysts accounted for most of the abnormalities in both environments. Most of the infections (60 percent) recorded in the amphibians inside the Plains were mild. In contrast 77.55 percent of the infections recorded in the amphibians outside the Plains were moderate.

A research associate attached to the University of Indonesia Research Centre for Climate Change Thasun Amarasinghe said that not only hourglass tree frogs but almost all amphibians in Sri Lanka are under threat.

“They are called hourglass tree frogs as they have a colour pattern like an hour glass mark on their dorsum (back). They are highland species, and are very sensitive to temperature and humidity so in addition to habitat loss and forest fragmentation, there will be a future threat to them due to climate change”, he warned.

The major conclusion of the study was the natural selection results in the ‘polymorphisms’ to face the threat of predation. Moreover, colour and pattern polymorphisms manifest due to strong selection by visually oriented predators and the polymorphisms are highly valuable for the species to ensure their survival in the environment, while helping them to avoid abnormalities.

(Pix courtesy Praneeth Silva)

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News

Whistleblowers ask Treasury Chief to resign over theft of USD 2.5 mn

Published

14 hours ago

2026/04/24

Thilina Walpola

Payment made to new account number outside agreement

Civil society group ‘Free Lawyers’, which exposed the payment of USD 2.5 mn loan instalment by the Treasury to a third party instead of Australia, yesterday (23) said that in spite of the Treasury having the legitimate bank account mentioned in the relevant agreement, the payment had been made to another account subsequently received from a person who had been in contact with some senior officials.

Civil society activist Keerthi Tennakoon on behalf of ‘Free Lawyers’ emphasised that the account number mentioned in the agreement couldn’t be changed without approval of the Secretary to the Treasury Harshana Suriyapperuma, who is also the Secretary to the Finance Ministry. Suriyapperuma, who quit his National List seat to receive the top appointment, should be held responsible for the unprecedented development, Tennakoon said.

If the Treasury had followed the time-tested procedures in place, a new bank account couldn’t have been introduced, and therefore a thorough investigation was required to reveal the truth.According to Free Lawyers, the scam had been detected by relatively junior officer and not those higher ups.

Free Lawyers’ would continue to follow the developments to ensure transparency in the investigations, Tennakoon said, noting that Suriyapperuma should step down as he was aware of a third party securing root access to the system in September 2025 but failed to take action to prevent the scam. Tennakoon said that the NPPer hadn’t informed relevant authorities, and altogether 16 officials were involved in the scam.

By Shamindra Ferdinando

News

Hambantora port sets new record

Published

14 hours ago

2026/04/24

Thilina Walpola

MSC Marie Leslie at Hambantota port

Hambantota International Port (HIP) successfully handled container vessel MSC Marie Leslie, marking one of its highest-volume vessel calls to date. The achievement further strengthens the port’s position as an emerging hub for containerised cargo in the region, according to HIP press release.

The vessel, operated by Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), was berthed at HIP from 11 to 15 April 2026. The port achieved 7,968 container moves during this period, translating to a total volume of 13,260 TEUs; the highest single-vessel throughput recorded by HIP to date.

This latest milestone surpasses previous records, including 12,957 TEUs handled on MSC Ilenia and 11,369 TEUs on MSC Ruby in March this year, reflecting a steady upward trend in the port’s container handling performance.

News

US sinking of Iranian frigate off Sri Lanka unprecedented war crime Araghchi tells Vijitha

Published

14 hours ago

2026/04/24

Thilina Walpola

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has told his Sri Lankan counterpart Vijitha Herath that US sinking of Iranian frigate IRIS Dena off Sri Lankan waters was an unprecedented war crime.

Of some 180 crew only 30 odd personnel survived.

While referring to crimes committed by the United States and Israel against Iran, Araghchi has stressed that they would never forget this crime, which constitutes a grave violation of the fundamental rules of international humanitarian law and the 1949 Geneva Conventions, and would employ all legal and political means to hold the perpetrators and those responsible accountable and bring them to justice.

Araghchi has said so during a telephone conversation with Herath regarding the ongoing West Asia conflict and related developments.

During the phone call, Araghchi expressed appreciation for the Sri Lankan government’s efforts in the rescue operation for the sailors of the IRIS Dena and for assisting in the transfer of the bodies of the crew of the vessel and other Iranian naval personnel back to Iran, according to the Iranian Embassy in Sri Lanka.

US sank Dena as it along with two other Iranian vessels awaited Sri Lanka approval to enter the Colombo port. Iranian ambassador in Colombo Dr. Alireza Delkhosh is on record as having said that the Commander of Sri Lanka Navy invited the Iranian ships to visit Colombo following their participation in International Fleet review and Milan 2026 held in India in late Feb. All Iranian vessels had been unarmed at that time in keeping with protocols regarding the participation in such events.