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Many higher educational institutes adopted digital tools to facilitate teaching and learning activities online due to COVID-19 pandemic. Among them, university academics had to rely on Zoom Meetings for teaching even if Zoom is generally used as a virtual communication tool. In order to identify future developments in implementing online education strategies, studying the perceptions of academics in using Zoom Meetings for teaching is essential. Therefore, in the present study, Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology was adopted to identify the significant factors contributing to university academics' intention to continuously use Zoom Meetings for teaching. A sample survey was conducted using a random sample of 350 university academics from Arts and Management faculties of selected state universities in Sri Lanka. Self-enumeration method was used instrumenting a structured questionnaire to collect data. Structural Equation Modelling approach was used to analyse data. It was revealed that university academics' intention to continuously use Zoom Meetings for teaching is positively associated with performance expectancy, effort expectancy and social influence and is indirectly associated with facilitating conditions through positive mediating effect of effort expectancy. These findings make important implications on software developers, educational administrators, policymakers, and researchers in different perspectives.

Very little is known about factors determining the assemblage structure of megadiverse polyphagous‐herbivore scarab chafers in the tropics (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). Here, we examined the composition of Sri Lankan chafer assemblages and investigated whether it is influenced more by the general ecoclimatic situation, macrohabitat, or indetermined stochastic biotic and abiotic factors of each locality. We also explored the influence of the latter on separate lineages and general body size. Based on dedicated field surveys conducted during the dry and wet seasons, we examined 4847 chafer individuals of 105 species sampled using multiple UV‐light traps in 11 localities covering different forest types and altitudinal zones. Assemblages were assessed for compositional similarity, species diversity, and abundance within four major eco‐spatial partitions: forest types, elevational zones, localities, and macrohabitats. Our results revealed that assemblages were shaped mainly by locality stochastics (i.e., multi‐factor ensemble of all biotic and abiotic environmental conditions at local scale), and to a minor extent by ecoclimatic conditions. Macrohabitat had little effect on the assemblage composition. This was true for the entire chafer assemblage as well as for all single lineages or different body size classes. However, in medium and large species the contrasts between localities were less pronounced, which was not the case for individual lineages of the assemblage. Contrasts of assemblage similarity between localities were much more evident than those for forest types and elevation zones. Significant correlation between species composition and geographic distance was found only for the assemblage of small‐bodied specimens. Seasonal change (dry–wet) in species composition was minor and only measurable in a few localities. The strong turnover between examined localities corroborates with the high degree of endemism in many phytophagous chafers, particularly in Sericini. Connected with their hypothetic poor habitat specificity and polyphagy, this might also explain why so many chafer crop pests in the Asian tropics are endemics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this ethnographic self-reconstruction, the author represents the ways in which he negotiated the differing teaching practices and professional cultures of the periphery and the center in an effort to develop a strategic professional identity. He brings out the importance of using multiple identities critically for voice in the wider professional discourses and practices. As global English acquires local identities, and diverse professional communities develop their own socially situated pedagogical practices, it is becoming important to chart a constructive relationship between these communities in TESOL. Through his journey of professionalization, the author explores the framework of relationships that would enable an effective negotiation of practices and discourses between the different professional communities and facilitate more constructive teacher identities. (Contains 2 footnotes.)

This study focuses on the ways youth in the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora in Canada, Britain, and the United States construct their ethnic identity when proficiency in their heritage language is limited. Though these youth claim only rudimentary proficiency in Tamil and identify English as their dominant language, they are nonetheless able to claim ethnic identity through strategic language practices. Different from Rampton's theorization of crossing, such acts involve self-styling. While crossing is transgressive, self-styling is affirmative. While crossing is ludic, self-styling is invested. Furthermore, while crossing has been studied mostly in terms of the tokens produced, this study illustrates the way receptive proficiency and nonverbal participatory practices can help style one's own. The study illustrates certain new configurations of language and ethnicity in diaspora life. (Contains 3 footnotes.)

The shifts underway in contemporary social conditions call for a new alignment between the specializations constituting English Studies: namely, literature, applied linguistics, and rhetoric and composition. Postcolonial social movements have generated new language, textual, and literary practices. These developments bring to the fore practices that have always characterized communication, but ignored in English Studies because dominant paradigms have not been sensitive to these practices. Influenced by modernist values, English Studies took on a trajectory that isolated the object of analysis in order to identify the finite rules that capture the core of communicative practices. Postcolonial communicative conditions draw attention to liminalities, flows, and mixtures that require a situated, multimodal, and multisensory understanding of languages and texts, and the plurality of meanings that emerge from a negotiation of diverse contexts. To understand such language practices, students and scholars have to draw from all three specializations and practise a creole scholarship.

The author suggests that models positioning the multilingual writer as passively conditioned by "interference" from his or her first language, as well as more correlative models of the interrelationships of multiple languages in writing, need to be revised. Analyzing works written to different audiences, in different contexts, and in different languages by a prominent Sri Lankan intellectual, the author instead suggests a way of understanding multilingual writing as a process engaged in multiple contexts of communication, and multilingual writers as agentive rather than passive, shuttling creatively among languages, discourses, and identities to achieve their communicative and rhetorical objectives. (Contains 4 notes.)

Compares two separate classroom ethnographies in higher educational institutions--one on African American students learning academic writing and another on Sri Lankan Tamil students learning English for general purposes. Attempts to overcome the separation of the concerns of bilingual and bidialectal minority students in English-language teaching. (55 references) (Author/CK)

Sri Lanka is a biologically diverse South Asian island, and together with the Western Ghats (Southern India) is one of the 36 world's most biologically diverse areas. Here, we investigated the origin and diversification of Rhomphaea and Neospintharus of Sri Lanka using sequences of three genes: mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) and 16S rRNA (16S); and nuclear 28S rRNA (28S). Our phylogeny included 32 taxa (30 ingroup and 2 outgroup). We used Bayesian Inference and maximum likelihood methods to reconstruct the placement of species, divergence time estimations and their foraging behavior with an emphasis on species from Sri Lanka. Our phylogenetic hypothesis support the monophyly of Argyrodinae as well as the monophyly of Rhomphaea, where Rhomphaea is a sister group of Neospintharus. Further, our analysis also suggests that Sri Lanka was colonized by Argyrodinae several times. Additionally, the following new species are described: Rhomphaea shanthisp. nov., Rhomphaea jackosp. nov., Rhomphaea martinisp. nov., Rhomphaea maranisp. nov., Neospintharus kandelensissp. nov. and Neospintharus ohiyiaensissp. nov. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzes code-switched utterances in English-as-a-Second-Language classes in Sri Lanka. The study shows some useful functions code-switching serves for classroom management and transmission of lesson content. The negotiation of values, identities, and roles in the classroom prepares students for their sociolinguistic life outside. (24 references) (Author/CK)

Argues that Canagarajah's ethnographic study of a Sri Lankan university classroom is of limited value because of the choice of site, subjects, and textbook. Canagarajah responds by rebutting these criticisms and asserting that his study chose to show local conditions as they existed. (Contains 16 references.) (MDM)

Decreased motivation in 13 female and 9 male tertiary-level Tamil students in an English for general purposes course was contradicted by verbal affirmations of their motivation. The contradiction reflects conflict between cultural integrity and socioeconomic mobility and leads to an ambivalent state with elements of accommodation and opposition in which students perpetuate their own domination. (Contains 30 references.) (Author/JP)

DNA taxonomy including barcoding and metabarcoding is widely used to explore the diversity in biodiversity hotspots. In most of these hotspot areas, chafers are represented by a multitude of species, which are well defined by the complex shape of male genitalia. Here, we explore how well COI barcode data reflect morphological species entities and thus their usability for accelerated species inventorization. We conducted dedicated field surveys in Sri Lanka to collect the species‐rich and highly endemic Sericini chafers (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). Congruence among results of a series of protocols for de novo species delimitation and with morphology‐based species identifications was investigated. Different delimitation methods, such as the Poisson tree processes (PTP) model, Statistical Parsimony Analysis (TCS), Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery (ABGD), Assemble Species by Automatic Partitioning (ASAP), and Barcode Index Number (BIN) assignments, resulted in different numbers of molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs). All methods showed both over‐splitting and lumping of morphologically identified species. Only 18 of the observed 45 morphospecies perfectly matched MOTUs from all methods. The congruence of delimitation between MOTUs and morphospecies expressed by the match ratio was low, ranging from 0.57 to 0.67. TCS and multirate PTP (mPTP) showed the highest match ratio, while (BIN) assignment resulted in the lowest match ratio and most splitting events. mPTP lumped more species than any other method. Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) on a match ratio‐based distance matrix revealed incongruent outcomes of multiple DNA delimitation methods, although applied to the same data. Our results confirm that COI barcode data alone are unlikely to correctly delimit all species, in particular, when using only a single delimitation approach. We encourage the integration of various approaches and data, particularly morphology, to validate species boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, lagoons are among the most productive and valuable ecosystems. Human pressure on lagoon ecosystems and their exploitation has been rapidly increasing in recent years. Stakeholder awareness of the existence of lagoon resources and their future potential is vital for future sustainability. This paper explores how and in what circumstances stakeholder preferences relating to lagoon resources differ among key users — fishermen, recreational visitors' and residents who are subjected to flood damage. In particular, we assess stakeholders' preferences for lagoon conservation and their deterioration. This is achieved by employing a discrete choice experiment involving 432 respondents using two phases of a repeated survey in Sri Lanka. Our findings suggest that various stakeholders' perceived value of conservation attributes differ based on their own interest rather than holistic conservation benefits. Moreover, we find that fish diversity, the extent of mangrove coverage, flora and fauna and flood control are the most significant resources in the lagoon ecosystem. This study indicates that lagoon users are seeking greater compensation compared to contributions sought for lagoons' perceived future benefits. These findings contribute to a growing body of empirical work which points to the heterogeneity of lagoon users' preferences and from its various stakeholders. This study suggests that ecosystem management strategies should be based on how its various users value its potential benefits rather than on holistic conservation beliefs and attitudes. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Oriental jumping spider genus Flacillula Strand, 1932 has remained taxonomically un‐revised and has never been subjected to phylogenetic evaluation. Due to its ambiguous circumscription, several species not sister to its type species were subsequently placed in it, rendering the genus a "holdall." This study is designed to investigate the monophyly of the genus, its placement within the subtribe Simaethina Simon, 1903, and to review its composition. Using two target genes (28S, COI), we provide the first hypothesis on the internal phylogenetic structure of the genus and its placement within Simaethina. Additionally, we describe seven new species: Flacillula dothalugala sp. nov., Flacillula ellaensis sp. nov., Flacillula henryi sp. nov., Flacillula hodgsoni sp. nov., Flacillula johnstoni sp. nov., Flacillula naipauli sp. nov., and Flacillula piyasenai sp. nov. Further, the following new combinations are proposed: Iona minuta (Berland, 1929) comb. nov. and Iona nitens (Berry, Beatty & Prószyński, 1997) comb. nov. The newly described species might be endangered due to their small population size and restricted distribution in high‐altitude cloud forest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The comb-footed spiders Coleosoma blandum O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1882 (male only) and C. floridanumBanks, 1900 (male only) are redescribed, based on newly collected material from Sri Lanka. The latter species is reported for the first time from the island. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sri Lankan jumping spider species first described as Colopsus cancellatus and its close relatives are an understudied yet charismatic part of the fauna of the island. Here, using molecular sequence data (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA, and histone H3), and a variety of methods we tested the validity of this genus and recover three well-supported clades in the ML analysis: Colopsus and Evarcha in two separate clades with Burmattus in-between. In the MP analysis Colopsus and Evarcha form two separate clades. The Sri Lanka Colopsus previously misplaced in Evarcha formed a distinct clade in both the ML and MP topologies. Thus, Colopsus is restored as a distinct genus. Pancorius is recovered as non-monophyletic. We additionally describe the following new species: Colopsus cinereus sp. nov., C. ferruginus sp. nov., C. magnus sp. nov. and C. tenuesi sp. nov., Evarcha latus sp. nov., Pancorius alboclypeus sp. nov., P. altus sp. nov and P. athukoralai sp. nov. Pancorius is recorded for the first time from Sri Lanka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three new species of litter-dwelling jumping spiders, Habrocestum liptoni sp. nov., Stenaelurillus ilesai sp. nov., and Tamigalesus fabus sp. nov. are described from Sri Lanka. In addition, T. munnaricus is redescribed based on the new material from Sri Lanka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Boliscus decipiens O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1899 from Sri Lanka is redescribed based on type and newly collected material. It is distinguished from congeners by the long, needle-shaped embolus that winds twice around the tegulum. In the light of this new information, an updated diagnosis for Boliscus tuberculatus (Simon, 1886) is provided. Further, the monotypic genus BoliscodesSimon, 1909 is synonymized with Boliscus (Boliscodes amaenulus = Boliscus tuberculatus) n. syn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sri Lankan species of the genus Tmarus are cryptic spiders that live either on greenish moss-covered twigs or brownish dried-out twigs. They have remained taxonomically unrevised. The only known species was misplaced in Peritraeus Simon, 1895, which has never been subjected to phylogenetic evaluation. The present study is designed to investigate the phylogenetic placement of Sri Lankan Tmarus within Thomisidae as well as to assess the validity of Peritraeus and its relationship to Tmarus and Monaeses , if any. Using a multilocus molecular dataset (16S–ND1, 28S, CO1 and H3) we provide evidence that Tmarus and Monaeses are paraphyletic and that Peritraeus is a junior subjective synonym of Tmarus. Four species of Tmarus , including three new species, are now recorded from Sri Lanka. The legacy groups Alcimochthae and Tmarae are confirmed to be polyphyletic. Further, the following new species are described: Tmarus hiyarensis , sp. nov., T. viridomaculatus , sp. nov. and T. manojkaushalyai sp. nov. The following new combination is proposed: Tmarus hystrix (Simon, 1895), comb. nov. (this results in a homonym with Tmarus hystrix Caporiacco, 1954: we rename the species Tmarus caporioccoi Ileperuma Arachchi & Benjamin, replacement name). Lsid: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:05C2F204-3C31-43A6-8D7E-9AC56BFF1F6B Sri Lankan species of the crab spider genus Tmarus are cryptic twig dwellers. In this work, we revise the genus and describe three new species. This study suggests a remarkably high diversity of crab spiders in the forest patches of Sri Lanka and provides new insights to the phylogeny of the family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a systematic revision of South Asian members of the Tribe Chrysillini Simon, 1901. Genetic and morphological variations were analysed of a "similar-looking" group of species that were initially identified as members of the jumping spider genera Chrysilla Thorell, 1887 and Phintella Strand, in Bösenberg and Strand 1906 to determine their phylogenetic relationships. Results suggest that the assessed morphospecies complex constitute of three evolutionary lineages, two previously unrecognised, which are described and diagnosed as two new genera: Phintelloides gen. n. and Proszynskia gen. n. The third lineage, Phintella, is sister to these proposed genera. The following new species are described: Phintelloides alborea sp. n., P. brunne sp. n., P. flavoviri sp. n., P. flavumi sp. n., P. orbisa sp. n., Phintella argentea sp. n., and P. jaleeli sp. n. Sri Lanka is rich in biodiversity but currently has one of the highest rates of deforestation. Lack of clarity on diversity and distribution of the islands' biodiversity can lead to underestimations during threat assessments and thus downgrading of conservation needs of individual species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distributional and taxonomic data are provided for six species of crab spiders of the genusEpidiusThorell, 1877 of which five species,E. coloratussp. nov.,E. elongatussp. nov. (male),E. florenisp. nov. (male/female),E. longimanussp. nov. (male/female) andE. mahavirasp. nov. (male/female), are newly described. Evidence is provided to demonstrate thatPothaeusThorell, 1895 (type speciesPothaeus armatuis a junior synonym ofEpidius. Epidius bazarusis shown to be a junior synonym ofE. armatuscomb. nov. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:15B56D3E-69FB-46CD-8AFE-34919B844D14 [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

All nominal species of ant-mimicking jumping spiders of the genusMyrmarachnefrom Sri Lanka are redescribed, based on type and newly collected material. Three new species are described:Myrmarachne aurantiacasp. nov.,M. dishanisp. nov. andM. morningsidesp. nov.PanachraestaSimon, 1900 is shown to be a junior synonym ofMyrmarachneMacLeay, 1839, syn. nov. The following species are synonymized:Myrmarachne orientalesTikader, 1973 =Myrmarachne melanocephalaMacLeay, 1839 syn. nov.,Myrmarachne paivaeNarayen, 1915 andMyrmarachne bengalensisTikader, 1973 =Myrmarachne prava(Karsch, 1880) syn. nov.,Myrmarachne hanoiiZabka, 1985 =Myrmarachne pumilio(Karsch, 1880) syn. nov.,Myrmarachne marathaTikader, 1973 =Myrmarachne robusta(Peckham & Peckham, 1892). One new combination is proposed:Myrmarachne paludosa(Simon, 1900) comb. nov.Myrmarachne ramunniNarayan, 1915 is recorded for the first time in Sri Lanka. A total of 12 valid species are now known from the island; six of them are endemic. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:B723C180-996B-471D-B920-4D08E7A8CD53 [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Although snake bite remains a major health problem in Sri Lanka, there is a dearth of baseline information that would be useful in education about and prevention of snakebite. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to describe the socio-demographic characteristics, behavioral responses, treatment seeking, and prehospital interventions of snakebite victims in an area with high snakebite burden. Methods: This prospective study was based on a cohort of snakebite victims presented to the Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital over a 1-year period from January 2010. Results: Of the total of 1018 snakebite admissions, 69% were male and 65.8% were aged 21 to 50 years. Most of the victims were farmers (40%). The offending snakes were seen by 549 victims (54%); of these, only 46% (255) presented with a dead snake specimen. Only 38 of 1018 (4%) had first sought some form of indigenous treatment such as locally applied medications, herbal decoctions, nasal insufflations (“Nasna”), or applying snake stone over the bitten site. Some form of first aid had been adopted by 681 victims (67%), of whom all had washed the bitten site, and 18 victims (2%) and 4 (0.4%) had applied a dressing or incised the bitten site, respectively. A tourniquet had been applied by 353 victims (35%) for mean duration of 26 minutes (range, 5 to 120 minutes). None of the patients had immobilized the bitten limb by splinting. Oral medications had been used for pain relief in 74 cases (7%), paracetamol by all. Conclusions: A proportion of patients still seek native remedies and use inappropriate first aid after snakebite in Sri Lanka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ballus Koch, 1850 is a beetle-like jumping spider genus encountered in montane evergreen rainforests of the Central and Uva Provinces of Sri Lanka. The taxonomic literature documents three species of the genus for the island. However, neither the taxonomic validity nor the systematics of any of the three species have been previously examined. We used nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences (28S rRNA, H3, COI) as well as morphological characters to investigate the genetic and taxonomic diversity of Ballus populations in Sri Lanka, including specimens from type localities. No Ballus specimens were found outside of the central highlands. Results of molecular species delimitation and morphological analysis suggest the presence of only a single species of Ballus in Sri Lanka. We therefore propose B. sellatusSimon, 1900 to be a junior synonym of B. segmentatusSimon, 1900, while B. clathratus Simon, 1901 remains a nomen nudum. Further, we discuss the implications of our results for conservation planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change and its impact on the agricultural sector in developing economies is a matter of considerable academic and political debate. This paper examines the impact of climate change and variability on Sri Lankan agriculture and identifies the potential adaptation practices and their impacts on rice productivity. More specifically, this study investigates how farming households' decisions to adapt to climate change affects agricultural productivity in the Batticaloa district of Sri Lanka. The data were collected through a primary survey of 238 farming households. We employ a simultaneous equations model with endogenous switching to investigate the differing effects of adaptation on adapters and non-adapters. The findings show that most farmers perceive there are adverse climate change impacts on their agricultural production. We also find that farmers' adaptation measures substantially boost rice yields. Moreover, it is shown that such strategies would benefit both adapters and non-adapters. Farmers' access to climate related information, education, membership in farmer organizations and size of plots are found to play a key role in the adaptation process. Overall, this study provides empirical evidence of the positive impact of adaptations on food productivity and farm income, thus suggesting the need for policy interventions that enhance farmers uptake of strategies against climate change impacts. • Investigates how farming households' decisions to adapt to climate change affects agricultural productivity. • Use a simultaneous equations model with endogenous switching to investigate the differing effects of adaptation on adapters and non-adapters. • Farmers perceive there are adverse climate change impacts on their agricultural production. • Farmers' household and farm characteristics play a key role in the adaptation process • Provides empirical evidence of the positive impact of adaptations on food productivity and farm income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the author's comments on an article by A. Bhaskaran and P. D. Rajan on a meeting which aimed at assessing the present status of taxonomy and biodiversity loss in Western Ghats, India. She says that the loss of biodiversity due to anthropogenic causes demands the urgent attention of biologists. Further, she relates that the faunas of India and Sri Lanka are interlinked in historic and evolutionary terms.

Synagelides Strand, 1906 is recorded for the first time in Sri Lanka. Four new species are described and illustrated: S. hortonensis sp. nov., S. lakmalii sp. nov., S. rosalindae sp. nov. and S. orlandoi sp. nov. A key to the four new species is given.

A new thread-legged assassin bug species, Myiophanes (Myiophanes) wygodzinskyi sp. nov. (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Emesinae: Emesini), collected from Ravana Cave in Uva Province of Sri Lanka, is described. It is the largest species of the genus described so far.

Sri Lanka is part of the Western Ghats & Sri Lanka biodiversity hotspot. Thus, the conservation of Sri Lanka's unique biodiversity is crucial. The current study is part of an ongoing survey of pseudoscorpion fauna of Sri Lanka. We carried out an island-wide survey of pseudoscorpions using a range of collection methods to sample a diverse set of habitats around the country. This produced 32 species, four of which might be new to science, belonging to 25 genera. The family Cheiridiidae was discovered on the island for the first time. One new combination, Indogarypus ceylonicus (Beier, 1973) comb. nov., is proposed. Out of the 47 species now recorded, 20 (43 %) are potentially endemic to Sri Lanka. We provide a checklist of all known species, document their distribution and give a key to the families.