The Low-Country Wet Zone

Sinharaja forest in the low country wet zone. Rising mist in the early morning.

It lies to the south-west of the central hills and comprises of a small area of densely covered low hills. It is generally hot and humid throughout the year with some parts receiving over 200 inches of rain per year. Most endemic species of butterflies are found in this zone.

The Low-Country Dry Zone:

The low-country dry zone occupies about three-quarters of the country. It receives between 25-75 inches of rain, most of which falls towards the end of the year. Elevation ranges from sea level to 500 feet above sea level. It is hot and dry for most of the year. Rice is cultivated extensively under irrigation from man-made water reservoirs that are called tanks. Vegetables are also cultivated in this zone after the monsoonal rains. It does have some tracts of forest and scrub jungle, though vastly reduced from its former size due to new settlements. Most of the butterflies found in this zone are similar to those in South India.

Ecological zones

The distribution of butterflies and dragonflies
is influenced by temperature, rainfall, altitude and the geology
of the land. Sri Lanka has traditionally been divided into five broad ecological zones–the arid zone, the low-country dry zone, the low-country wet zone and the central hill zone with a transitional intermediate zone between the lowlands and the hills. There are also tracts of grasslands which are of secondary origin in the hills that are home to some species of butterflies, though not exclusively. The mangroves and salt marshes are not specific to any species of butterfly but certainly offer excellent habits for some species.

Endemic species

Endemic species and/or subspecies are marked with an asterisk (*).

Zygoptera
Calopterygoidea
Calopterygidae

1. Neurobasis chinensis chinensis
2. Vestalis apicalis nigrescens*

Chlorocyphidae (Libellaginidae)

3. Libellago adami*
4. Libellago finalis*
5. Libellago greeni*
6. Libellago indica

Euphaeidae (Epallagidae)

7. Euphaea splendens*

Lestoidea (Lestidoideae)
Lestidae

8. Lestes praemorsus decipiens
9. Lestes elatus
10. Lestes malabarica
11. Sinhalestes orientalis*
12. Indolestes divisa*
13. Indolestes gracilis gracilis*

Coenagrionoidea
Coenagrionidae (Cenagriidae, Agrionidae)

14. Agriocnemis femina femina
15. Agriocnemis pygmaea
16. Mortagrion ceylonicum*
17. Onychargia atrocyana
18. Cercion malayanum
19. Enallagma parvum
20. Aciagrion occidentale
21. Ischnura aurora aurora
22. Ischnura senegalensis
23. Ceriagrion cerinorubellum
24. Ceriagrion coromandelianum
25. Pseudagrion malabaricum
26. Pseudagrion microcephalum
27. Pseudagrion rubriceps ceylonicum*

Platycnemidae

28. Copera marginipes

Platysticidae

29. Drepanosticta adami*
30. Drepanosticta austeni*
31. Drepanosticta brincki*
32. Drepanosticta digna*
33. Drepanosticta fraseri*
34. Drepanosticta hilaris*
35. Drepanosticta lankanensis*
36. Drepanosticta montana*
37. Drepanosticta nietneri*
38. Drepanosticta sinhalensis*
39. Drepanosticta starmuhlneri*
40. Drepanosticta submontana*
41. Drepanosticta subtropica*
42. Drepanosticta tropica*
43. Drepanosticta walli*
44. Platysticta apicalis*
45. Platysticta maculata*

Protoneuridae

46. Disparoneura ramajana*
47. Elattoneura oculata (formerly bigemmata)*
48. Elattoneura caesia*
49. Elattoneura centralis*
50. Elattoneura leucostigma*
51. Elattoneura tenax*
52. Prodasineura sita*

Anisoptera
Aeshnoidea
Gomphidae

53. Anisogomphus solitaris*
54. Burmagomphus pyramidalis sinuatus*
55. Cyclogomphus gynostylus*
56. Megalogomphus ceylonicus*
57. Paragomphus henryi*
58. Heliogomphus ceylonicus*
59. Heliogomphus lyratus*
60. Heliogomphus nietneri*
61. Heliogomphus walli*
62. Macrogomphus lankanensis*
63. Macrogomphus annulatus keiseri*
64. Microgomphus wijaya*
65. Gomphidia pearsoni*
66. Ictinogomphus rapax

Aeshnidae

67. Anax guttatus
68. Anax immaculifrons
69. Anax indicus
70. Hemianax ephippiger
71. Gynacantha dravida
72. Anaciaeshna donaldi

Libelluloidea
Corduliidae

73. Epophthalmia vittata cyanocephala*
74. Macromia flinti*
75. Macromia zeylanica*

Libellulidae

76. Hylaeothemis fruhstorferi*
77. Tetrathemis yerburyi*
78. Brachydiplax sobrina
79. Cratilla lineata calverti
80. Lathrecista asiatica asiatica
81. Orthetrum chrysis
82. Orthetrum glaucum
83. Orthetrum luzonicum
84. Orthetrum pruinosum neglectum
85. Orthetrum sabina sabina
86. Orthetrum triangulare triangulare
87. Potomarcha congener
88. Acisoma panorpoides panorpoides
89. Brachythemis contaminata
90. Bradinopyga geminata
91. Crocothemis servilia
92. Diplacodes nebulosa
93. Diplacodes trivialis
94. Indothemis carnatica
95. Indothemis limbata sita
96. Neurothemis intermedia intermedia
97. Neurothemis tullia tullia
98. Rhodothemis rufa
99. Sympetrum fonscolombei
100. Trithemis aurora
101. Trithemis festiva
102. Trithemis kirby kirby
103. Trithemis pallidinervis
104. Onychothemis tokinenesis ceylanica
105. Palpopleura sexmaculata sexmaculata
106. Rhyothemis triangularis
107. Rhyothemis variegata variegata
108. Hydrobasileus croceus
109. Pantala flavescens
110. Tramea basilaris burmeisteri
111. Tramea limbata
112. Tholymis tillarga
113. Zyxomma petiolatum
114. Aethriamanta brevipennis
115. Macrodiplax cora
116. Urothemis signata signata
117. Zygonyx iris ceylonicus