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| years_active = 1990–present
| years_active = 1990–present
| employer = [[Australian Museum]]
| employer = [[Australian Museum]]
| notable_works = ''Freshwater fishes of Sri Lanka'' (1990)<br/>''Pearls, spices and green gold: an illustrated history of biodiversity exploration in Sri Lanka'' (2007)<br/>''Horton Plains: Sri Lanka's cloud-forest national park'' (2012)
| notable_works = ''Freshwater fishes of Sri Lanka'' (1990)<br/>''Pearls, spices and green gold: an illustrated history of biodiversity exploration in Sri Lanka'' (2007)<br/>''Horton Plains: Sri Lanka's cloud-forest national park'' (2012)<br/>''The Ecology and Biogeography of Sri Lanka: A Context for Freshwater Fishes'' (2021)
| awards = {{nowrap|[[Rolex Awards for Enterprise|Rolex Award for Enterprise]]}}, {{nowrap|[[The Linnean Society of London|The Linnean Medal]]}}
| awards = {{nowrap|[[Sri Lanka|Vadamarachchi Medal, 1987]]}}, {{nowrap|[[Rolex Awards for Enterprise|Rolex Award for Enterprise, 2000]]}}, {{nowrap|[[The Linnean Society of London|The Linnean Medal, 2022]]}}
| website = [http://www.wht.lk The Wildlife Heritage Trust of Sri Lanka]{{dead link|date=June 2022}}
| website = [http://www.wht.lk The Wildlife Heritage Trust of Sri Lanka]{{dead link|date=June 2022}}
}}
}}
'''Rohan David Pethiyagoda''' is a Sri Lankan [[biodiversity]] scientist, amphibian and freshwater-fish [[taxonomist]], author, conservationist and public-policy advocate.
'''Rohan David Pethiyagoda''' is a [[Sri Lanka|Sri Lankan]] [[biodiversity]] scientist, amphibian and freshwater-fish [[taxonomist]], author, conservationist and public-policy advocate.


==Early life and career==
==Early life and career==
Born in [[Colombo]], Sri Lanka, 19 November 1955 Pethiyagoda had his secondary education at [[S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia]]. He was awarded a [[BSc]] (Eng.) Hons. in [[Electrical Engineering|Electrical and Electronics Engineering]] from [[King's College London|King's College, University of London]] in 1977, and a [[MPhil|M.Phil.]] in [[Biomedical Engineering]] from the [[University of Sussex]] in 1980.<ref name=fish>{{cite book|last=Pethiyagoda|first=Rohan|title=Freshwater fishes of Sri Lanka|year=1990|publisher=WHT|location=Colombo|isbn=955-9114-00-X|pages=362}}</ref>
Born in [[Colombo]], Sri Lanka, on 19 November 1955 Pethiyagoda had his secondary education at [[S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia]]. He was awarded a [[BSc]] (Eng.) Hons. in [[Electrical Engineering|Electrical and Electronics Engineering]] from [[King's College London|King's College, University of London]] in 1977, and a [[MPhil|M.Phil.]] in [[Biomedical Engineering]] from the [[University of Sussex]] in 1980.<ref name=fish>{{cite book|last=Pethiyagoda|first=Rohan|title=Freshwater fishes of Sri Lanka|year=1990|publisher=WHT|location=Colombo|isbn=955-9114-00-X|pages=362}}</ref>


==Service==
==Service==
From 1981 to 1982 Pethiyagoda served as an engineer in the Division of Biomedical Engineering of the Sri Lankan [[Ministry of Health (Sri Lanka)|Ministry of Health]], and from 1982 to 1987 as director of that institution. In 1984 he was concurrently appointed chairman of Sri Lanka's Water Resources Board. He served as Advisor on Environment and Natural resources to the Government of Sri Lanka from 2002 to 2004 and was in 2005 elected Deputy Chair of the [[IUCN Species Survival Commission]].<ref name=BBC>{{cite news|last=Black|first=Richard|title=Global plan to rescue amphibians|date=19 September 2005 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4262384.stm|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=23 January 2012}}</ref> In 2008 Pethiyagoda was elected to the board of trustees of the International Trust for Zoological Nomenclature, having previously served a four-year term as Deputy Chair of the Assurance Group of the [[British American Tobacco]] Biodiversity Partnership. In 2009 he was appointed a Research Associate of the Australian Museum, Sydney,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://australianmuseum.net.au/learn/collections/natural-science/ichthyology/fish-section-research-associates/|title=Fish Section Research Associates|last=News|first=Opening Hours Closed to the public until mid-2020 Address 1 William StreetSydney NSW 2010 Australia Phone +61 2 9320 6000 www australianmuseum net au Copyright © 2020 The Australian Museum ABN 85 407 224 698 View Museum|website=The Australian Museum|language=en|access-date=2020-01-16}}</ref> and from 2015 to 2018 he served as Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tea Board.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ft.lk/front-page/rohan-pethiyagoda-new-tea-board-chairman/44-485165|title=Rohan Pethiyagoda new Tea Board Chairman |website=[[Daily FT]]|language=English|access-date=2020-01-16}}</ref> On 22 June 2022, Pethiyagoda was appointed Senior Policy Adviser to Sajith Premadasa, MP, Leader of the Opposition of Sri Lanka.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ft.lk/news/Dr-Pethiyagoda-appointed-Senior-Policy-Advisor-to-Opposition-Leader/56-736546|title=Dr. Pethiyagoda appointed Senior Policy Advisor to Opposition Leader |website= Daily FT}}</ref>
From 1981 to 1982 Pethiyagoda served as an engineer in the Division of Biomedical Engineering of the Sri Lankan [[Ministry of Health (Sri Lanka)|Ministry of Health]], and from 1982 to 1987 as director of that institution. That same year he was awarded the Vadamarachchi Medal by President J.R. Jayewardene for his services to the Sri Lanka Armed Forces during the Vadamarachchi Campaign.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.silumina.lk/2022/04/23/%E0%B6%BB%E0%B7%83%E0%B6%B3%E0%B7%94%E0%B6%B1/%E0%B7%80%E0%B6%A9%E0%B7%8F-%E0%B7%80%E0%B7%90%E0%B6%AF%E0%B6%9C%E0%B6%AD%E0%B7%8A-%E0%B7%80%E0%B6%B1%E0%B7%8A%E0%B6%B1%E0%B7%9A-%E0%B6%9A%E0%B6%BB%E0%B6%B1-%E0%B6%9A%E0%B7%8F%E0%B6%BB%E0%B7%8A%E0%B6%BA%E0%B6%BA%E0%B6%BA%E0%B7%92|title=What matters is the work we do|website=Silumina}}</ref> In 1984 he was concurrently appointed chairman of Sri Lanka's Water Resources Board. He served as Advisor on Environment and Natural resources to the Government of Sri Lanka from 2002 to 2004 and was in 2005 elected Deputy Chair of the [[IUCN Species Survival Commission]].<ref name=BBC>{{cite news|last=Black|first=Richard|title=Global plan to rescue amphibians|date=19 September 2005 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4262384.stm|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=23 January 2012}}</ref> In 2008 Pethiyagoda was elected to the board of trustees of the International Trust for Zoological Nomenclature, having previously served a four-year term as Deputy Chair of the Assurance Group of the [[British American Tobacco]] Biodiversity Partnership. In 2009 he was appointed a Research Associate of the Australian Museum, Sydney,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://australianmuseum.net.au/learn/collections/natural-science/ichthyology/fish-section-research-associates/|title=Fish Section Research Associates|website=The Australian Museum|language=en|access-date=2020-01-16}}</ref> and from 2015 to 2018 he served as Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tea Board.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ft.lk/front-page/rohan-pethiyagoda-new-tea-board-chairman/44-485165|title=Rohan Pethiyagoda new Tea Board Chairman |website=[[Daily FT]]|language=English|access-date=2020-01-16}}</ref> On 22 June 2022, Pethiyagoda was appointed Senior Policy Adviser to Sajith Premadasa, MP, Leader of the Opposition of Sri Lanka.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ft.lk/news/Dr-Pethiyagoda-appointed-Senior-Policy-Advisor-to-Opposition-Leader/56-736546|title=Dr. Pethiyagoda appointed Senior Policy Advisor to Opposition Leader |website= Daily FT}}</ref>


==Naturalist life==
==Naturalist life==
He resigned from government office in 1987 to commence work on a project to explore the island's freshwater fishes,<ref name=rolex>{{cite web|title=Rohan Pethiyagoda – The Project|url=http://www.rolexawards.com/profiles/associate_laureates/rohan_pethiyagoda/project|publisher=Rolex Awards for Enterprise|accessdate=14 January 2012}}</ref> which led to his first book in 1990, ''Freshwater fishes of Sri Lanka'',<ref name=fish/> an illustrated account of the country's freshwater-fish fauna.<ref name=Copeia>{{cite journal|last=Moyle|first=P.B.|title=Review of R. Pethiyagoda, Freshwater Fishes of Sri Lanka|journal=Copeia|volume=1991|issue=4|year=1991|pages=1166–1177|doi=10.2307/1446131 |jstor=1446131}}</ref>
He resigned from government office in 1987 to commence work on a project to explore the island's freshwater fishes,<ref name=rolex>{{cite web|title=Rohan Pethiyagoda – The Project|url=http://www.rolexawards.com/profiles/associate_laureates/rohan_pethiyagoda/project|publisher=Rolex Awards for Enterprise|accessdate=14 January 2012}}</ref> which led to his first book in 1990, ''Freshwater fishes of Sri Lanka'',<ref name=fish/> an illustrated account of the country's freshwater-fish fauna.<ref name=Copeia>{{cite journal|last=Moyle|first=P.B.|title=Review of R. Pethiyagoda, Freshwater Fishes of Sri Lanka|journal=Copeia|volume=1991|issue=4|year=1991|pages=1166–1177|doi=10.2307/1446131 |jstor=1446131}}</ref>


Pethiyagoda diverted the profits from this book to an endowment for the Wildlife Heritage Trust (WHT), a foundation he established in 1990 to further biodiversity exploration in Sri Lanka, with the business-model of publishing natural-history books and channeling the proceeds into further exploration and research.<ref name=rolex /> Between 1991 and 2012 WHT published some 40 books in both English and Sinhala, including titles such as ''A field guide to the birds of Sri Lanka'',<ref name=fieldbirds>{{cite book|title=A field guide to the birds of Sri Lanka|year=1995|publisher=WHT|isbn=955-9114-07-7|pages=224|author=Kotagama S.|author2=Wijayasinghe, A. }}</ref> one of several titles translated into [[Sinhala language|Sinhala]] and, aided by a grant from the Biodiversity Window of the [[World Bank]] / Netherlands Partnership Programme, provided free to 5,000 school libraries.<ref>{{cite book|title=Siri Laka kurullo ['Birds of Sri Lanka']|publisher=WHT|location=Colombo|isbn=955-9114-18-2|pages=516|author=Kotagama, S.|author2=Wijayasinghe, A. |year=1998}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Siri Laka gaskolan athpotha ['A handbook to the trees and shrubs of Sri Lanka']|year=2004|publisher=WHT|location=Colombo|isbn=978-955-9114-30-7|pages=513|last1=Ashton |first1=M.S.|last2=Gunatilleke |first2=S. |last3=de Zoysa |first3=N. |last4=Dassanayake |first4=M.D. |last5=Gunatilleke |first5=N. |last6=Siril Wijesundera |first6=S.|others=Translated by Wijayasinghe, A.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Somaweera|first=R.|title=Sri Lankawe Sarpayin ['Snakes of Sri Lanka']|year=2006|publisher=WHT|location=Colombo|isbn=955-9114-35-2|pages=297}}</ref><ref name=frogbook>{{cite book|title=Sri Lankawe Ubhayajeeveen ['The amphibian fauna of Sri Lanka']|year=2007|publisher=WHT|location=Colombo|isbn=978-955-9114-34-5|pages=440|author=Manamendra-Arachchi, K.|author2=Pethiyagoda, R. }}</ref> This program aimed, for the first time in Sri Lanka, to put scientific local-language biodiversity texts in the hands of young people.<ref>{{cite web|last=Fernando|first=Prithiviraj|title=New perspective on amphibians|url=http://www.thesundayleader.lk/archive/20060625/arts.htm|publisher=The Sunday Leader|accessdate=23 January 2012|archive-date=27 November 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111127220901/http://www.thesundayleader.lk/archive/20060625/arts.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> Pethiyagoda has also been outspoken in his advocacy of policy reform in Sri Lanka, writing on subjects such as biopiracy,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Biopiracy threatens Sri Lanka's tourism sector |url=https://www.ft.lk/columns/Biopiracy-threatens-Sri-Lanka-s-tourism-sector/4-714836|access-date=2022-06-24|website= Daily FT |language=English}}</ref> abortion<ref>{{Cite web|title=Abortion: The agony of a nation {{!}} Daily FT|url=http://www.ft.lk/columns/Abortion--The-agony-of-a-nation/4-647452|access-date=2021-03-10|website=www.ft.lk|language=English}}</ref> and sexual ethics<ref>{{Cite web|title=No sex please, we're Sri Lankan|url=http://www.ft.lk/columns/No-sex-please--we-re-Sri-Lankan/4-645479|access-date=2021-03-10|website=Daily FT|language=English}}</ref> in the media, in addition to lecture-videos on diverse topics including nutrition, agricultural policy, and economic and political reform.<ref>{{YouTube|c=UCfDuv3FOoOtU4yzk5Yn_5gQ}}</ref>
Pethiyagoda diverted the profits from this book to an endowment for the Wildlife Heritage Trust (WHT), a foundation he established in 1990 to further biodiversity exploration in Sri Lanka, with the business model of publishing natural history books and channelling the proceeds into further exploration and research.<ref name=rolex /> Between 1991 and 2012 WHT published some 40 books in both English and Sinhala, including titles such as ''A field guide to the birds of Sri Lanka'',<ref name=fieldbirds>{{cite book|title=A field guide to the birds of Sri Lanka|year=1995|publisher=WHT|isbn=955-9114-07-7|pages=224|author=Kotagama S.|author2=Wijayasinghe, A. }}</ref> one of several titles translated into [[Sinhala language|Sinhala]] and, aided by a grant from the Biodiversity Window of the [[World Bank]] / Netherlands Partnership Programme, provided free to 5,000 school libraries.<ref>{{cite book|title=Siri Laka kurullo ['Birds of Sri Lanka']|publisher=WHT|location=Colombo|isbn=955-9114-18-2|pages=516|author=Kotagama, S.|author2=Wijayasinghe, A. |year=1998}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Siri Laka gaskolan athpotha ['A handbook to the trees and shrubs of Sri Lanka']|year=2004|publisher=WHT|location=Colombo|isbn=978-955-9114-30-7|pages=513|last1=Ashton |first1=M.S.|last2=Gunatilleke |first2=S. |last3=de Zoysa |first3=N. |last4=Dassanayake |first4=M.D. |last5=Gunatilleke |first5=N. |last6=Siril Wijesundera |first6=S.|others=Translated by Wijayasinghe, A.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Somaweera|first=R.|title=Sri Lankawe Sarpayin ['Snakes of Sri Lanka']|year=2006|publisher=WHT|location=Colombo|isbn=955-9114-35-2|pages=297}}</ref><ref name=frogbook>{{cite book|title=Sri Lankawe Ubhayajeeveen ['The amphibian fauna of Sri Lanka']|year=2007|publisher=WHT|location=Colombo|isbn=978-955-9114-34-5|pages=440|author=Manamendra-Arachchi, K.|author2=Pethiyagoda, R. }}</ref> This program aimed, for the first time in Sri Lanka, to put scientific local-language biodiversity texts in the hands of young people.<ref>{{cite web|last=Fernando|first=Prithiviraj|title=New perspective on amphibians|url=http://www.thesundayleader.lk/archive/20060625/arts.htm|publisher=The Sunday Leader|accessdate=23 January 2012|archive-date=27 November 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111127220901/http://www.thesundayleader.lk/archive/20060625/arts.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> Pethiyagoda has also been outspoken in his advocacy of policy reform in Sri Lanka, writing on subjects such as biopiracy,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Biopiracy threatens Sri Lanka's tourism sector |url=https://www.ft.lk/columns/Biopiracy-threatens-Sri-Lanka-s-tourism-sector/4-714836|access-date=2022-06-24|website= Daily FT |language=English}}</ref> abortion<ref>{{Cite web|title=Abortion: The agony of a nation {{!}} Daily FT|url=http://www.ft.lk/columns/Abortion--The-agony-of-a-nation/4-647452|access-date=2021-03-10|website=www.ft.lk|language=English}}</ref> and sexual ethics<ref>{{Cite web|title=No sex please, we're Sri Lankan|url=http://www.ft.lk/columns/No-sex-please--we-re-Sri-Lankan/4-645479|access-date=2021-03-10|website=Daily FT|language=English}}</ref> in the media, in addition to lecture-videos on diverse topics including nutrition, agricultural policy, and economic and political reform.<ref>{{YouTube|c=UCfDuv3FOoOtU4yzk5Yn_5gQ}}</ref>


==Discoveries==
==Discoveries==
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==Recognition==
==Recognition==
In 1998, concerned by the rapid loss of [[montane forest]] in Sri Lanka, Pethiyagoda began a (still on-going) project to convert abandoned [[tea plantation]]s into natural forest,<ref name="Totum restoration">{{cite journal|last1=Pethiyagoda|first1=Rohan S. Jr.|last2=Nanayakkara |first2=S. |title=Invasion by ''Austroeupatorium inulifolium'' (Asteraceae) arrests succession following tea cultivation in the highlands of Sri Lanka|journal=Ceylon Journal of Science (Biological Sciences)|date=2011|volume=40|issue=2|pages=175–181|doi=10.4038/cjsbs.v40i2.3934|doi-access=free}}</ref> for which he was honoured by the [[Rolex Awards for Enterprise]].<ref name=rolex /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBOaEHSJv2c|title=Rohan Pethiyagoda – The call of the cloud forest|via=www.youtube.com}}</ref>
In 1998, concerned by the rapid loss of [[montane forest]] in Sri Lanka, Pethiyagoda began a (still ongoing) project to convert abandoned [[tea plantation]]s into natural forest,<ref name="Totum restoration">{{cite journal|last1=Pethiyagoda|first1=Rohan S. Jr.|last2=Nanayakkara |first2=S. |title=Invasion by ''Austroeupatorium inulifolium'' (Asteraceae) arrests succession following tea cultivation in the highlands of Sri Lanka|journal=Ceylon Journal of Science (Biological Sciences)|date=2011|volume=40|issue=2|pages=175–181|doi=10.4038/cjsbs.v40i2.3934|doi-access=free}}</ref> for which he was honoured by the [[Rolex Awards for Enterprise]].<ref name=rolex /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBOaEHSJv2c|title=Rohan Pethiyagoda – The call of the cloud forest|via=www.youtube.com}}</ref>


In 2022, he received the [[Linnean Medal]] from the [[Linnean Society of London]], becoming the first Sri Lankan and only the second Asian to receive this award since its inception in 1888.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dissanayake |first1=Rajith |title=Sri Lankan wins Linnean Medal, the 'Nobel Prize for naturalists' (commentary) |url=https://news.mongabay.com/2022/05/sri-lankan-wins-linnean-medal-the-nobel-prize-for-naturalists-commentary/ |website=Mongabay Environmental News |access-date=27 May 2022 |date=24 May 2022}}</ref>
In 2022, he received the [[Linnean Medal]] from the [[Linnean Society of London]], becoming the first Sri Lankan and only the second Asian to receive this award since its inception in 1888.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dissanayake |first1=Rajith |title=Sri Lankan wins Linnean Medal, the 'Nobel Prize for naturalists' (commentary) |url=https://news.mongabay.com/2022/05/sri-lankan-wins-linnean-medal-the-nobel-prize-for-naturalists-commentary/ |website=Mongabay Environmental News |access-date=27 May 2022 |date=24 May 2022}}</ref>


In recognition of his contribution to biodiversity conservation Pethiyagoda was elected a Fellow of the [[National Academy of Sciences of Sri Lanka]].<ref>{{cite web|title= The (US) Tropical Forest Conservation Act: Flogging Dead Horses |website=The Island|url=http://www.island.lk/2005/06/26/features6.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190618151455/https://island.lk/2005/06/26/features6.html|archivedate=2019-06-18|url-status=dead}}</ref> In addition to some 60 papers in the scientific literature,<ref name=ISI>{{Cite web|url=https://scholar.google.com/scholar?as_q=&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&as_occt=any&as_sauthors=Rohan+Pethiyagoda&as_publication=&as_ylo=&as_yhi=&btnG=&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5|title=Google Scholar|website=scholar.google.com}}</ref> his most recently published books are on the history of natural-history exploration in Sri Lanka,<ref>{{cite book|last=Pethiyagoda|first=R.|title=Pearls, spices and green gold: an illustrated history of biodiversity exploration in Sri Lanka|year=2007|publisher=WHT|location=Colombo|isbn=978-955-9114-38-3|pages=241}}</ref> Sri Lankan primates,<ref name=Primates>{{cite book|last=Pethiyagoda|first=Rohan|title=Sri Lankan primates: An enthusiasts' guide|date=2012|publisher=Wildlife Conservation Society, Galle|location=Colombo|isbn=9789550954001|pages=126}}</ref> [[Horton Plains National Park]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Pethiyagoda|first=R.|title=Horton Plains: Sri Lanka's cloud-forest national park.|year=2012|publisher=WHT|isbn=978-955-9114-41-3|pages=320}}</ref> and the biogeography of Sri Lanka.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Pethiyagoda|first1=R.|last2=Sudasinghe|first2=H.|title=The ecology and biogeography of Sri Lanka: A context for freshwater fishes|year=2021|publisher=WHT Publications|location=Colombo|isbn=9786249837805|pages=258}}</ref> He is a Research Associate of the [[Australian Museum]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Fish Section Research Associates|url=http://australianmuseum.net.au/Fish-Section-Research-Associates/|publisher=The Australian Museum|accessdate=23 January 2012}}</ref> and serves as editor for Asian Freshwater Fishes of the journal ''[[Zootaxa]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Pisces|url=http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/taxa/Pisces.html|publisher=Magnolia Press|accessdate=23 January 2012}}</ref>
In recognition of his contribution to biodiversity conservation Pethiyagoda was elected a Fellow of the [[National Academy of Sciences of Sri Lanka]].<ref>{{cite web|title= The (US) Tropical Forest Conservation Act: Flogging Dead Horses |website=The Island|url=http://www.island.lk/2005/06/26/features6.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190618151455/https://island.lk/2005/06/26/features6.html|archivedate=2019-06-18|url-status=dead}}</ref> In addition to some 60 papers in the scientific literature,<ref name=ISI>{{Cite web|url=https://scholar.google.com/scholar?as_q=&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&as_occt=any&as_sauthors=Rohan+Pethiyagoda&as_publication=&as_ylo=&as_yhi=&btnG=&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5|title=Google Scholar|website=scholar.google.com}}</ref> his most recently published books are on the history of natural-history exploration in Sri Lanka,<ref>{{cite book|last=Pethiyagoda|first=R.|title=Pearls, spices and green gold: an illustrated history of biodiversity exploration in Sri Lanka|year=2007|publisher=WHT|location=Colombo|isbn=978-955-9114-38-3|pages=241}}</ref> Sri Lankan primates,<ref name=Primates>{{cite book|last=Pethiyagoda|first=Rohan|title=Sri Lankan primates: An enthusiasts' guide|date=2012|publisher=Wildlife Conservation Society, Galle|location=Colombo|isbn=9789550954001|pages=126}}</ref> [[Horton Plains National Park]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Pethiyagoda|first=R.|title=Horton Plains: Sri Lanka's cloud-forest national park.|year=2012|publisher=WHT|isbn=978-955-9114-41-3|pages=320}}</ref> and the biogeography of Sri Lanka.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Pethiyagoda|first1=R.|last2=Sudasinghe|first2=H.|title=The ecology and biogeography of Sri Lanka: A context for freshwater fishes|year=2021|publisher=WHT Publications|location=Colombo|isbn=9786249837805|pages=258}}</ref> He is a Research Associate of the [[Australian Museum]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Fish Section Research Associates|url=http://australianmuseum.net.au/Fish-Section-Research-Associates/|publisher=The Australian Museum|accessdate=23 January 2012}}</ref> and serves as editor for Asian Freshwater Fishes of the journal ''[[Zootaxa]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Pisces|url=http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/taxa/Pisces.html|publisher=Magnolia Press|accessdate=23 January 2012}}</ref>


==Legacy==
==Legacy==
Several new species have been named in his honour, including the fishes ''[[Dawkinsia rohani]]''<ref name="Puntius rohani">{{cite journal|last1=Devi|first1=K. Rema|first2=T.J. |last2=Indra |first3=J.D. Marcus |last3=Knight|title=''Puntius rohani'' (Teleostei: Cyprinidae), a new species of barb in the ''Puntius filamentosus'' group from southern Western Ghats of India|journal=Journal of Threatened Taxa|date=26 August 2010|volume=2|issue=9|pages=1121–1129|doi=10.11609/jott.o2505.1121-9|doi-access=free}}</ref> and ''[[Rasboroides rohani]]'';<ref name=Rasboroides>{{cite journal|last1=Batuwita|first1=Sudesh|last2=de Silva |first2=M. |last3=Edirisinghe |first3=U.|title=A review of the danionine genera ''Rasboroides'' and ''Horadandia'' (Pisces: Cyprinidae), with description of a new species from Sri Lanka|journal=Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters|date=November 2013|volume=24|issue=2|pages=121–140}}</ref> the microhylid frog ''[[Uperodon rohani]]''<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Garg|first1=Sonali|last2=Senevirathne|first2=Gayani|last3=Wijayathilaka|first3=Nayana|last4=Phuge|first4=Samadhan|last5=Deuti|first5=Kaushik|last6=Manamendra-Arachchi|first6=Kelum|last7=Meegaskumbura|first7=Madhava|last8=Biju|first8=Sd|date=2018-02-22|title=An integrative taxonomic review of the South Asian microhylid genus Uperodon|url=https://www.biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.4384.1.1|journal=Zootaxa|language=en|volume=4384|issue=1|pages=1–88|doi=10.11646/zootaxa.4384.1.1|pmid=29689915|issn=1175-5334}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ft.lk/news/-Yala-Toilet-Frog--named-after-departing-Tea-Board-chairman/56-651667|title='Yala Toilet Frog' named after departing Tea Board chairman |website=Daily FT|language=English|access-date=2020-01-16}}</ref>'';'' the dragon lizard ''[[Calotes pethiyagodai]]'';<ref name=Calotes>{{cite journal|last1=Amarasinghe|first1=A.A. Thasun|last2=Karunarathna |first2=D.M.S.S. |last3=Hallermann |first3=J. |last4=Fujunuma |first4=J. |last5=Grillitsch |first5=H. |last6=Campbell |first6=P.D.|title=A new species of the genus Calotes (Squamata: Agamidae) from high elevations of the Knuckles Massif of Sri Lanka|journal=Zootaxa|date=2014|volume=3785|issue=1|pages=59–78|doi=10.11646/zootaxa.3785.1.5|pmid=24872171}}</ref> the jumping spider ''[[Onomastus pethiyagodai]]''<ref name=Onomastus>{{cite journal|last=Benjamin|first=Suresh P.|title=Revision and cladistic analysis of the jumping spider genus ''Onomastus'' (Araneae: Salticidae)|journal=Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society|date=2010|volume=159|issue=3|pages=711–745|doi=10.1111/j.1096-3642.2009.00580.x|doi-access=free}}</ref> and the dragonfly ''[[Macromidia donaldi|Macromidia donaldi pethiyagodai]]''.<ref name=Macromidia>{{cite journal|last=van der Poorten|first=Nancy|title=Macromidia donaldi pethiyagodai subsp. nov. from Sri Lanka (Odonata: Corduliidae)|journal=International Journal of Odonatology|date=2012|volume=15|issue=2|pages=99–106|doi=10.1080/13887890.2012.692112|s2cid=219595968 }}</ref> In 2020, a team of scientists led by S. D. Biju named a new genus of South and Southeast Asian tree frogs ''[[Rohanixalus]]'' in Pethiyagoda's honour.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Biju|first1=S. D.|last2=Garg|first2=Sonali|last3=Gokulakrishnan|first3=G.|last4=Chandrakasan|first4=Sivaperuman|last5=Thammachoti|first5=Panupong|last6=Ren|first6=Jinlong|last7=Gopika|first7=C.|last8=Bisht|first8=Karan|last9=Hamidy|first9=Amir|last10=Shouche|first10=Yogesh|date=2020-11-12|title=New insights on the systematics and reproductive behaviour in tree frogs of the genus Feihyla , with description of a new related genus from Asia (Anura, Rhacophoridae)|url=https://www.biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.4878.1.1|journal=Zootaxa|language=en|volume=4878|issue=1|pages=zootaxa.4878.1.1|doi=10.11646/zootaxa.4878.1.1|pmid=33311165|s2cid=228859751 |issn=1175-5334}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Singh|first=Shiv Sahay|date=2020-11-12|title=New genus of tree frog discovered, found in Andamans and Northeast India|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/new-genus-of-treefrog-discovered-in-andaman-islands/article33083907.ece|access-date=2021-03-10|issn=0971-751X}}</ref>
Several new species have been named in his honour, including the fishes ''[[Dawkinsia rohani]]''<ref name="Puntius rohani">{{cite journal|last1=Devi|first1=K. Rema|first2=T.J. |last2=Indra |first3=J.D. Marcus |last3=Knight|title=''Puntius rohani'' (Teleostei: Cyprinidae), a new species of barb in the ''Puntius filamentosus'' group from southern Western Ghats of India|journal=Journal of Threatened Taxa|date=26 August 2010|volume=2|issue=9|pages=1121–1129|doi=10.11609/jott.o2505.1121-9|doi-access=free}}</ref> and ''[[Rasboroides rohani]]'';<ref name=Rasboroides>{{cite journal|last1=Batuwita|first1=Sudesh|last2=de Silva |first2=M. |last3=Edirisinghe |first3=U.|title=A review of the danionine genera ''Rasboroides'' and ''Horadandia'' (Pisces: Cyprinidae), with description of a new species from Sri Lanka|journal=Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters|date=November 2013|volume=24|issue=2|pages=121–140}}</ref> the microhylid frog ''[[Uperodon rohani]]''<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Garg|first1=Sonali|last2=Senevirathne|first2=Gayani|last3=Wijayathilaka|first3=Nayana|last4=Phuge|first4=Samadhan|last5=Deuti|first5=Kaushik|last6=Manamendra-Arachchi|first6=Kelum|last7=Meegaskumbura|first7=Madhava|last8=Biju|first8=Sd|date=2018-02-22|title=An integrative taxonomic review of the South Asian microhylid genus Uperodon|url=https://www.biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.4384.1.1|journal=Zootaxa|language=en|volume=4384|issue=1|pages=1–88|doi=10.11646/zootaxa.4384.1.1|pmid=29689915|issn=1175-5334}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ft.lk/news/-Yala-Toilet-Frog--named-after-departing-Tea-Board-chairman/56-651667|title='Yala Toilet Frog' named after departing Tea Board chairman |website=Daily FT|language=English|access-date=2020-01-16}}</ref>'';'' the dragon lizard ''[[Calotes pethiyagodai]]'';<ref name=Calotes>{{cite journal|last1=Amarasinghe|first1=A.A. Thasun|last2=Karunarathna |first2=D.M.S.S. |last3=Hallermann |first3=J. |last4=Fujunuma |first4=J. |last5=Grillitsch |first5=H. |last6=Campbell |first6=P.D.|title=A new species of the genus Calotes (Squamata: Agamidae) from high elevations of the Knuckles Massif of Sri Lanka|journal=Zootaxa|date=2014|volume=3785|issue=1|pages=59–78|doi=10.11646/zootaxa.3785.1.5|pmid=24872171}}</ref> the jumping spider ''[[Onomastus pethiyagodai]]''<ref name=Onomastus>{{cite journal|last=Benjamin|first=Suresh P.|title=Revision and cladistic analysis of the jumping spider genus ''Onomastus'' (Araneae: Salticidae)|journal=Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society|date=2010|volume=159|issue=3|pages=711–745|doi=10.1111/j.1096-3642.2009.00580.x|doi-access=free}}</ref> and the dragonfly ''[[Macromidia donaldi|Macromidia donaldi pethiyagodai]]''.<ref name=Macromidia>{{cite journal|last=van der Poorten|first=Nancy|title=Macromidia donaldi pethiyagodai subsp. nov. from Sri Lanka (Odonata: Corduliidae)|journal=International Journal of Odonatology|date=2012|volume=15|issue=2|pages=99–106|doi=10.1080/13887890.2012.692112|s2cid=219595968 |doi-access=free}}</ref> In 2020, a team of scientists led by S. D. Biju named a new genus of South and Southeast Asian tree frogs ''[[Rohanixalus]]'' in Pethiyagoda's honour.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Biju|first1=S. D.|last2=Garg|first2=Sonali|last3=Gokulakrishnan|first3=G.|last4=Chandrakasan|first4=Sivaperuman|last5=Thammachoti|first5=Panupong|last6=Ren|first6=Jinlong|last7=Gopika|first7=C.|last8=Bisht|first8=Karan|last9=Hamidy|first9=Amir|last10=Shouche|first10=Yogesh|date=2020-11-12|title=New insights on the systematics and reproductive behaviour in tree frogs of the genus Feihyla , with description of a new related genus from Asia (Anura, Rhacophoridae)|url=https://www.biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.4878.1.1|journal=Zootaxa|language=en|volume=4878|issue=1|pages=zootaxa.4878.1.1|doi=10.11646/zootaxa.4878.1.1|pmid=33311165|s2cid=228859751 |issn=1175-5334}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Singh|first=Shiv Sahay|date=2020-11-12|title=New genus of tree frog discovered, found in Andamans and Northeast India|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/new-genus-of-treefrog-discovered-in-andaman-islands/article33083907.ece|access-date=2021-03-10|issn=0971-751X}}</ref>


In July 2012 Pethiyagoda and colleagues named a [[genus]] of South Asian [[freshwater fish]]es ''[[Dawkinsia]]'' in honour of the evolutionary biologist [[Richard Dawkins]],<ref name=Puntius_Paper>{{cite journal|last1=Pethiyagoda|first1=Rohan|last2=Meegaskumbura |first2=M. |last3=Maduwage |first3=K.|title=A synopsis of the genus Puntius in South Asia (Pisces: Cyprinidae)|journal=Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters|year=2012|volume=23|pages=69–95|url=http://www.pfeil-verlag.de/04biol/pdf/ief23_1_12.pdf|accessdate=9 August 2012}}</ref> following which Pethiyagoda told AFP that "Richard Dawkins has through his writings helped us understand that the universe is far more beautiful and awe-inspiring than any religion has imagined".<ref name=TelegraphUK>{{cite news|last=AFP|title=Sri Lankans name new type of fish after Richard Dawkins|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/9402454/Sri-Lankans-name-new-type-of-fish-after-Richard-Dawkins.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120716114036/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/9402454/Sri-Lankans-name-new-type-of-fish-after-Richard-Dawkins.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 July 2012|accessdate=9 August 2012|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=16 July 2012}}</ref> Pethiyagoda also named the freshwater cyprinid genus ''[[Haludaria]]''<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Pethiyagoda|first=Rohan|date=2013-05-02|title=Haludaria, a replacement generic name for Dravidia (Teleostei: Cyprinidae)|url=http://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.3646.2.9|journal=Zootaxa|volume=3646|issue=2|pages=199|doi=10.11646/zootaxa.3646.2.9|pmid=26213759|issn=1175-5334|citeseerx=10.1.1.310.3371}}</ref> after the Begali youth known only as Haludar, who illustrated the fishes depicted in [[Francis_Buchanan-Hamilton|Francis Hamilton's]] (1822) "Fishes of the Ganges", the founder work of Indian ichthyology.
In July 2012 Pethiyagoda and colleagues named a [[genus]] of South Asian [[freshwater fish]]es ''[[Dawkinsia]]'' in honour of the evolutionary biologist [[Richard Dawkins]],<ref name=Puntius_Paper>{{cite journal|last1=Pethiyagoda|first1=Rohan|last2=Meegaskumbura |first2=M. |last3=Maduwage |first3=K.|title=A synopsis of the genus Puntius in South Asia (Pisces: Cyprinidae)|journal=Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters|year=2012|volume=23|pages=69–95|url=http://www.pfeil-verlag.de/04biol/pdf/ief23_1_12.pdf|accessdate=9 August 2012}}</ref> following which Pethiyagoda told AFP that "Richard Dawkins has through his writings helped us understand that the universe is far more beautiful and awe-inspiring than any religion has imagined".<ref name=TelegraphUK>{{cite news|last=AFP|title=Sri Lankans name new type of fish after Richard Dawkins|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/9402454/Sri-Lankans-name-new-type-of-fish-after-Richard-Dawkins.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120716114036/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/9402454/Sri-Lankans-name-new-type-of-fish-after-Richard-Dawkins.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 July 2012|accessdate=9 August 2012|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=16 July 2012}}</ref> Pethiyagoda also named the freshwater cyprinid genus ''[[Haludaria]]''<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Pethiyagoda|first=Rohan|date=2013-05-02|title=Haludaria, a replacement generic name for Dravidia (Teleostei: Cyprinidae)|url=http://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.3646.2.9|journal=Zootaxa|volume=3646|issue=2|pages=199|doi=10.11646/zootaxa.3646.2.9|pmid=26213759|issn=1175-5334|citeseerx=10.1.1.310.3371}}</ref> after the Begali youth known only as Haludar, who illustrated the fishes depicted in [[Francis Buchanan-Hamilton|Francis Hamilton's]] (1822) "Fishes of the Ganges", the founder work of Indian ichthyology.


==Taxa described by Pethiyagoda==
==Taxa described by Pethiyagoda==
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{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


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[[Category:Sri Lankan emigrants to Australia]]
[[Category:Sri Lankan emigrants to Australia]]
[[Category:Sinhalese activists]]
[[Category:Sinhalese activists]]
[[Category:Sinhalese zoologists]]
[[Category:Sinhalese people]]
[[Category:Sri Lankan zoologists]]
[[Category:Sri Lankan environmentalists]]

Latest revision as of 03:54, 25 December 2023

Rohan Pethiyagoda
Born
Tilak Rohan David Pethiyagoda

(1955-11-19) 19 November 1955 (age 68)
Colombo, Sri Lanka
NationalitySri Lankan
EducationBSc, M.Phil.
Alma materS. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia, King's College, London, University of Sussex
OccupationTaxonomist
Years active1990–present
EmployerAustralian Museum
Notable workFreshwater fishes of Sri Lanka (1990)
Pearls, spices and green gold: an illustrated history of biodiversity exploration in Sri Lanka (2007)
Horton Plains: Sri Lanka's cloud-forest national park (2012)
The Ecology and Biogeography of Sri Lanka: A Context for Freshwater Fishes (2021)
AwardsVadamarachchi Medal, 1987, Rolex Award for Enterprise, 2000, The Linnean Medal, 2022
WebsiteThe Wildlife Heritage Trust of Sri Lanka[dead link]

Rohan David Pethiyagoda is a Sri Lankan biodiversity scientist, amphibian and freshwater-fish taxonomist, author, conservationist and public-policy advocate.

Early life and career[edit]

Born in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on 19 November 1955 Pethiyagoda had his secondary education at S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia. He was awarded a BSc (Eng.) Hons. in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from King's College, University of London in 1977, and a M.Phil. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Sussex in 1980.[1]

Service[edit]

From 1981 to 1982 Pethiyagoda served as an engineer in the Division of Biomedical Engineering of the Sri Lankan Ministry of Health, and from 1982 to 1987 as director of that institution. That same year he was awarded the Vadamarachchi Medal by President J.R. Jayewardene for his services to the Sri Lanka Armed Forces during the Vadamarachchi Campaign.[2] In 1984 he was concurrently appointed chairman of Sri Lanka's Water Resources Board. He served as Advisor on Environment and Natural resources to the Government of Sri Lanka from 2002 to 2004 and was in 2005 elected Deputy Chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission.[3] In 2008 Pethiyagoda was elected to the board of trustees of the International Trust for Zoological Nomenclature, having previously served a four-year term as Deputy Chair of the Assurance Group of the British American Tobacco Biodiversity Partnership. In 2009 he was appointed a Research Associate of the Australian Museum, Sydney,[4] and from 2015 to 2018 he served as Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tea Board.[5] On 22 June 2022, Pethiyagoda was appointed Senior Policy Adviser to Sajith Premadasa, MP, Leader of the Opposition of Sri Lanka.[6]

Naturalist life[edit]

He resigned from government office in 1987 to commence work on a project to explore the island's freshwater fishes,[7] which led to his first book in 1990, Freshwater fishes of Sri Lanka,[1] an illustrated account of the country's freshwater-fish fauna.[8]

Pethiyagoda diverted the profits from this book to an endowment for the Wildlife Heritage Trust (WHT), a foundation he established in 1990 to further biodiversity exploration in Sri Lanka, with the business model of publishing natural history books and channelling the proceeds into further exploration and research.[7] Between 1991 and 2012 WHT published some 40 books in both English and Sinhala, including titles such as A field guide to the birds of Sri Lanka,[9] one of several titles translated into Sinhala and, aided by a grant from the Biodiversity Window of the World Bank / Netherlands Partnership Programme, provided free to 5,000 school libraries.[10][11][12][13] This program aimed, for the first time in Sri Lanka, to put scientific local-language biodiversity texts in the hands of young people.[14] Pethiyagoda has also been outspoken in his advocacy of policy reform in Sri Lanka, writing on subjects such as biopiracy,[15] abortion[16] and sexual ethics[17] in the media, in addition to lecture-videos on diverse topics including nutrition, agricultural policy, and economic and political reform.[18]

Discoveries[edit]

Together with colleagues at WHT Pethiyagoda has been responsible for the discovery and/or description of almost 100 new species of vertebrates from Sri Lanka, including fishes,[1][19] amphibians[13][20] and lizards,[21][22] in addition to 43 species of freshwater crabs.[23] This work also led to the finding that some 19 species of Sri Lankan amphibians have become extinct in the past 130 years,[20] the highest national extinction record in the world.[24]

Recognition[edit]

In 1998, concerned by the rapid loss of montane forest in Sri Lanka, Pethiyagoda began a (still ongoing) project to convert abandoned tea plantations into natural forest,[25] for which he was honoured by the Rolex Awards for Enterprise.[7][26]

In 2022, he received the Linnean Medal from the Linnean Society of London, becoming the first Sri Lankan and only the second Asian to receive this award since its inception in 1888.[27]

In recognition of his contribution to biodiversity conservation Pethiyagoda was elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences of Sri Lanka.[28] In addition to some 60 papers in the scientific literature,[29] his most recently published books are on the history of natural-history exploration in Sri Lanka,[30] Sri Lankan primates,[31] Horton Plains National Park[32] and the biogeography of Sri Lanka.[33] He is a Research Associate of the Australian Museum[34] and serves as editor for Asian Freshwater Fishes of the journal Zootaxa.[35]

Legacy[edit]

Several new species have been named in his honour, including the fishes Dawkinsia rohani[36] and Rasboroides rohani;[37] the microhylid frog Uperodon rohani[38][39]; the dragon lizard Calotes pethiyagodai;[40] the jumping spider Onomastus pethiyagodai[41] and the dragonfly Macromidia donaldi pethiyagodai.[42] In 2020, a team of scientists led by S. D. Biju named a new genus of South and Southeast Asian tree frogs Rohanixalus in Pethiyagoda's honour.[43][44]

In July 2012 Pethiyagoda and colleagues named a genus of South Asian freshwater fishes Dawkinsia in honour of the evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins,[45] following which Pethiyagoda told AFP that "Richard Dawkins has through his writings helped us understand that the universe is far more beautiful and awe-inspiring than any religion has imagined".[46] Pethiyagoda also named the freshwater cyprinid genus Haludaria[47] after the Begali youth known only as Haludar, who illustrated the fishes depicted in Francis Hamilton's (1822) "Fishes of the Ganges", the founder work of Indian ichthyology.

Taxa described by Pethiyagoda[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Pethiyagoda, Rohan (1990). Freshwater fishes of Sri Lanka. Colombo: WHT. p. 362. ISBN 955-9114-00-X.
  2. ^ "What matters is the work we do". Silumina.
  3. ^ Black, Richard (19 September 2005). "Global plan to rescue amphibians". BBC News. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  4. ^ "Fish Section Research Associates". The Australian Museum. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  5. ^ "Rohan Pethiyagoda new Tea Board Chairman". Daily FT. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  6. ^ "Dr. Pethiyagoda appointed Senior Policy Advisor to Opposition Leader". Daily FT.
  7. ^ a b c "Rohan Pethiyagoda – The Project". Rolex Awards for Enterprise. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  8. ^ Moyle, P.B. (1991). "Review of R. Pethiyagoda, Freshwater Fishes of Sri Lanka". Copeia. 1991 (4): 1166–1177. doi:10.2307/1446131. JSTOR 1446131.
  9. ^ Kotagama S.; Wijayasinghe, A. (1995). A field guide to the birds of Sri Lanka. WHT. p. 224. ISBN 955-9114-07-7.
  10. ^ Kotagama, S.; Wijayasinghe, A. (1998). Siri Laka kurullo ['Birds of Sri Lanka']. Colombo: WHT. p. 516. ISBN 955-9114-18-2.
  11. ^ Ashton, M.S.; Gunatilleke, S.; de Zoysa, N.; Dassanayake, M.D.; Gunatilleke, N.; Siril Wijesundera, S. (2004). Siri Laka gaskolan athpotha ['A handbook to the trees and shrubs of Sri Lanka']. Translated by Wijayasinghe, A. Colombo: WHT. p. 513. ISBN 978-955-9114-30-7.
  12. ^ Somaweera, R. (2006). Sri Lankawe Sarpayin ['Snakes of Sri Lanka']. Colombo: WHT. p. 297. ISBN 955-9114-35-2.
  13. ^ a b Manamendra-Arachchi, K.; Pethiyagoda, R. (2007). Sri Lankawe Ubhayajeeveen ['The amphibian fauna of Sri Lanka']. Colombo: WHT. p. 440. ISBN 978-955-9114-34-5.
  14. ^ Fernando, Prithiviraj. "New perspective on amphibians". The Sunday Leader. Archived from the original on 27 November 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  15. ^ "Biopiracy threatens Sri Lanka's tourism sector". Daily FT. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  16. ^ "Abortion: The agony of a nation | Daily FT". www.ft.lk. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  17. ^ "No sex please, we're Sri Lankan". Daily FT. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  18. ^ Rohan Pethiyagoda's channel on YouTube
  19. ^ Pethiyagoda, R.; Kottelat, M.; Silva, A.; Maduwage, M.; Meegaskumbura, M. (2008). "A review of the genus Laubuca in Sri Lanka, with description of three new species (Teleostei: Cyprinidae)". Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters. 19: 7–26.
  20. ^ a b Manamendra-Arachchi, K.; Pethiyagoda, R. (2005). "The Sri Lankan shrub frogs of the genus Philautus Gistel". Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. Supplement 12: 163–303.
  21. ^ Pethiyagoda, R.; Manamendra-Arachchi, K. (1998). "A revision of the endemic Sri Lankan agamid lizard genus Ceratophora Gray, 1835, with description of two new species". Journal of South Asian Natural History. 3: 1–52.
  22. ^ Manamendra–Arachchi, K.; Batuwita, S.; Pethiyagoda, R. (2007). "A revision of the Sri Lankan day geckos (Reptilia: Gekkonidae: Cnemaspis), with description of new species from Sri Lanka and southern India". Zeylanica. 7: 9–122.
  23. ^ Bahir, Mohomed M.; Ng, P.K.L.; Crandall, K.; Pethiyagoda, R. (2005). "A conservation assessment of the freshwater crabs of Sri Lanka". Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. Supplement 12: 121–126.
  24. ^ Bambaradeniya, Channa, ed. (2006). The fauna of Sri Lanka: status of taxonomy, research and conservation (PDF). International Union for Conservation of Nature. pp. 125–131. ISBN 955-8177-51-2.
  25. ^ Pethiyagoda, Rohan S. Jr.; Nanayakkara, S. (2011). "Invasion by Austroeupatorium inulifolium (Asteraceae) arrests succession following tea cultivation in the highlands of Sri Lanka". Ceylon Journal of Science (Biological Sciences). 40 (2): 175–181. doi:10.4038/cjsbs.v40i2.3934.
  26. ^ "Rohan Pethiyagoda – The call of the cloud forest" – via www.youtube.com.
  27. ^ Dissanayake, Rajith (24 May 2022). "Sri Lankan wins Linnean Medal, the 'Nobel Prize for naturalists' (commentary)". Mongabay Environmental News. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  28. ^ "The (US) Tropical Forest Conservation Act: Flogging Dead Horses". The Island. Archived from the original on 18 June 2019.
  29. ^ "Google Scholar". scholar.google.com.
  30. ^ Pethiyagoda, R. (2007). Pearls, spices and green gold: an illustrated history of biodiversity exploration in Sri Lanka. Colombo: WHT. p. 241. ISBN 978-955-9114-38-3.
  31. ^ Pethiyagoda, Rohan (2012). Sri Lankan primates: An enthusiasts' guide. Colombo: Wildlife Conservation Society, Galle. p. 126. ISBN 9789550954001.
  32. ^ Pethiyagoda, R. (2012). Horton Plains: Sri Lanka's cloud-forest national park. WHT. p. 320. ISBN 978-955-9114-41-3.
  33. ^ Pethiyagoda, R.; Sudasinghe, H. (2021). The ecology and biogeography of Sri Lanka: A context for freshwater fishes. Colombo: WHT Publications. p. 258. ISBN 9786249837805.
  34. ^ "Fish Section Research Associates". The Australian Museum. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  35. ^ "Pisces". Magnolia Press. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
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