Page:New species of Sericini from Sri Lanka (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae). Part II.pdf/45

European Journal of Taxonomy 821: 57–101 (2022)

888m; 15-X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “X-SR0902, Sri Lanka, Matale District, Riverston, Pitawala Pathana, 7.55223ºN, 80.75293ºE, 888m; 15-X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light”; ZFMK •1 ♂; “X-SR0903, Sri Lanka, Matale District, Riverston, Pitawala Pathana, 7.55223ºN, 80.75293ºE, 888m; 15-X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “X-SR0904, Sri Lanka, Matale District, Riverston, Pitawala Pathana, 7.55223ºN, 80.75293ºE, 888m; 15-X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “X-SR0905, Sri Lanka, Matale District, Riverston, Pitawala Pathana, 7.55223ºN, 80.75293ºE, 888m; 15-X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “X-SR0906, Sri Lanka, Matale District, Riverston, Pitawala Pathana, 7.55223ºN, 80.75293ºE, 888m; 15-X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “X-SR0907, Sri Lanka, Matale District, Riverston, Pitawala Pathana, 7.55223ºN, 80.75293ºE, 888m; 15-X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “X-SR0908, Sri Lanka, Matale District, Riverston, Pitawala Pathana, 7.55223ºN, 80.75293ºE, 888m; 15-X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “X-SR0909, Sri Lanka, Matale District, Riverston, Pitawala Pathana, 7.55223ºN, 80.75293ºE, 888m; 15-X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “X-SR0910, Sri Lanka, Matale District, Riverston, Pitawala Pathana, 7.55223ºN, 80.75293ºE, 888m; 15-X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “X-SR0911, Sri Lanka, Matale District, Riverston, Pitawala Pathana, 7.55223ºN, 80.75293ºE, 888m; 15-X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “X SR0912, Sri Lanka, Matale District, Riverston, Pitawala Pathana, 7.55223ºN, 80.75293ºE, 888m; 15-X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “X-SR0913, Sri Lanka, Matale District, Riverston, Pitawala Pathana, 7.55223ºN, 80.75293ºE, 888m; 15-X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light”; ZFMK • 1 ♂; “X-SR0914, Sri Lanka, Matale District, Riverston, Pitawala Pathana, 7.55223ºN, 80.75293ºE, 888m; 15-X-2019; Eberle, Bohacz & Ranasinghe leg.; Black light”; ZFMK.

Discussion

Although the sampling was mainly carried out at the same sites as in the first expedition (Ranasinghe et al. 2020), we still found different species within the assemblages, that had not been previously collected at the same site. This might be due to seasonal change, as sampling was performed in both dry and wet seasons. However, more thorough conclusions regarding temporal turnover of assemblages of Sericini would need long-term observation, and these data are analysed in a separate paper, focusing particularly on the synecology of the species in relation to their habitat. The study once more revealed a large amount of endemism, confirming that Sri Lanka remains unexplored, and that night active chafers are still rather poorly represented in material from occasional, non-specialized field surveys.

Acknowledgements

Fieldwork for this study was fully funded by institutional funds of the ZFMK and by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). S.R. was funded by the DAAD; N.A. and S.P.B. were funded by the NIFS. We are thanking to C. Bohacz (ZFMK), D. Bopearachchi, A. Sathkunanathan, M. Tharmarajan, C. Jayatissa and S. Wijesundara of the NIFS for their support in the field and lab. Further, we are grateful to Prof. S. Wijesundara and Mr C. Lekamge for providing facility in the NIFS Arboretum. Thanks to Mr Madhura de Silva and Mr Sampath for providing facility in the Hiyare Conservation Center. Furthermore, we are thankful to all Wildlife Rangers (Nuwara Eliya, Hiyare, Horton Plains), Regional forest officers (Kandy, Knuckles, Nuwara Eliya, Kottawa, Kanneliya) who helped us to conduct fieldwork. S.P.B. thanks to the Department of Wildlife Conservation, Sri Lanka (permit no: WL/3/2/61/18), the Department of Forest Conservation, Sri Lanka (permit no: R&E/RES/ NFSRCM/2019-01 & R&E/RES/NFSRCM/EXTENSION/2020), the Divisional Forest Office, Kandy, Sri Lanka (permit no: K/G/01/06/03) for providing research and collection permits.