Habenaria crinifera

Binomial: Habenaria crinifera
Sinhala: නාරිලතා/ නාරිදේහ උඩවැඩියා[Narilatha/Narideha udawediya]

Found in India and Sri Lanka. Its Sinhala name 'නාරිලතා/[Narilatha]' is given due to the shape of the flower resemblance to the shape of the body of a women. Above flowers were found in the wet zone of Sri Lanka in the month of September.

Eurasian spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia)

English: Eurasian spoonbill
Binomial: Platalea leucorodia
Sinhala: යුරාසියා හැඳිඅලවා/Yurasiya handialawa

Eurasian spoonbill is a widely distributed bird around the world. It can be seen in shallow muddy Sri Lankan wetlands of dry zone while searching for foods. This bird can be easily identified by the spoon like beak and the white colored crest. Above photograph was taken at Yala national park in June.

Perbrinckia scansor

Binomial Name: Perbrinckia scansor

Perbrinckia scansor is an endemic freshwater crab distributed in the wet zone of Sri Lanka. It is considered to be the only known tree climbing crab found in the island. Deforestation and habitat loss has become the main threat for the existence of this crab. Its IUCN Red List Status is ‘Least Concerned’. Above photographs were taken at Sinharaja forest reserve in January 2015.

Acknowledgement: Mr. M. M. Bahir

Grey heron (Ardea cinerea)

English: Grey heron
Binomial: Ardea cinerea
Sinhala: අළු කොකා[Alu koka]

Grey heron is a widely distributed bird found in Asia, Europe and African countries. It is a resident breeder in Sri Lanka. Above photographs were taken at Yala national park in June, 2015.

Horton Plains shrub frog (Pseudophilautus alto)

English: Horton Plains shrub frog
Binomial: Pseudophilautus alto
Sinhala: මහඑළිය පඳුරු මැඩියා/හෝටන් තැන්න පඳුරු මැඩියා [Mahaeliya panduru madiya/Horton thenne panduru madiya]

Pseudophilautus alto is an endemic shrub frog restricted to the central highlands of Sri Lanka. It is a common frog found in Horton national park. Above photographs were taken at Sripada peak wilderness sanctuary where the elevation above the sea level is about 1950m. IUCN Red list status of this frog is 'Endangered'.

Reference: Sri Lankawe Ubhayajeeven - Rohan Pethiyagoda/Kelum Manamendra-arachchi

Beddomea albizonata

Binomial Name: Beddomea albizonata/Beddomea albizonatus

Beddomea albizonata is an endemic species of land snails found in lowland wet zone forests of Sri Lanka. Green colored shell is an adaptation for the arboreal life. This snail can be mostly found on wet surfaces of rocks and leaves where the humidity level is high. Above photographs were taken at Kalugala and Makandawa rain forests. I observed that they are active when the environment is wet and if the habitat is getting drier they moved into the shell and hibernated like in the last picture.

Reference: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/research/projects/tropical-land-snails/publications.dsml

Champion's Diploprora (Diploprora championi)

Binomial: Diploprora championi
English: Champion's Diploprora

Diploprora championi is a species of wild orchid found in Asian countries. In Sri Lanka this plant can be seen on tree trunks of lowland wet zone.

Reference: An Annotated Checklist of the Orchids of Sri Lanka, Samantha Suranjan Fernando and Paul Ormerod
http://www.orchidspecies.com/diplopchampionii.htm