Determination of Micro-Habitat Preference of Adenomus kelaartii (Amphibia: Bufonidae) in and around Thotaha Stream, Yagirala Forest Reserve, Sri Lanka

Habitat preference of Adenomus kelaartii which is an endemic species of Sri Lanka wasstudied at Thotaha stream in Yagirala Forest Reserve in the low country wet zone from Julyto September 2014. Nine 3×3 m2 quadrates were randomly placed in the stream habitatincluding stream banks and rocky areas in the stream. Eight 3×3 m2 quadrates were randomlyplaced in the stream adjacent forest habitat 30 m away from the stream. The quadrates wereconsidered as “occupied” if at least one A. kelaartii was found using them. Microhabitatvariables including the ambient temperature, relative humidity, substrate relative moisture,silt/clay substrate availability, rocks covered with mosses and canopy cover were recorded ineach quadrate. Sampling was conducted once a month from 17:30 to 21:30 hrs. In order tocompare individual habitat variables between occupied and non-occupied quadrates, nonparametricMann-Whitney U-test (α=0.05) was used. The results revealed that the microhabitatconditions such as ambient temperature, relative humidity, substrate relative moisture,silt/clay substrate availability, rocks covered with mosses and canopy cover were the factorsdetermining micro habitat suitability for A. kelaartii. A sex based preference for refuges wasalso observed in A. kelaartii. The males showed a higher preference for cervices while thefemales preferred rock cervices and spaces between boulders. Juveniles preferred holes indecaying logs and spaces in cracked tree barks.Keywords: Micro-habitat variables, Adenomus kelaartii, Amphibian conservatio