
Ranwella’s spined tree frog (Polypedates ranwellai), a unique species has been discovered from Gilimale forest reserve, Ratnapura district. Although we place the new species tentatively in the genus Polypedates it must be emphasized that this is a species showing extreme morphological divergence, especially in the skull, from other representatives of this genus.The species is a new species discovered through Dilmah Conservation's 'Novel Species Paving the Way for Biodiversity Conservation' programme.
The frog was named after late Dr. Sanjeewa Ranwella in honor of his exceptional dedication towards wildlife conservation in Sri Lanka. Sadly the locality of this new, rare endemic amphibian is one of the least protected in the island and the survival of this newly discovered species is highly threatened.