An Overview of Vertebrate Faunal Diversity in Sri Lankan Mangroves

Abstract

Fernando, E.; Wickramasinghe, D., and Fernando, V.K., 2022. An overview of vertebrate faunal diversity in Sri Lankan mangroves. Journal of Coastal Research, 38(2), 429–448. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Sri Lanka is rich in floral and faunal communities. The mangrove forests found within the island are particularly important, being crucial habitats for endemic and globally threatened vertebrates. However, a comprehensive overview of the island's vertebrates known to utilise mangrove habitats has not yet been studied. This review uses available publications to categorise Sri Lankan vertebrates inhabiting mangroves according to the five vertebrate groups: ichthyofauna, amphibians, reptiles, avifauna, and mammals; 440 different species were subsequently categorised. A number of caveats have been addressed, and this review has given improved insight into the scale of diversity the island's mangrove habitats hold. This study will form the baseline for further mangrove vertebrate research, particularly in species groups where quantitative evidence and conservation statuses currently lacks.