COVER N. 335 - SRI LANKA

Postmark: Headquarters P.O. Colombo - Mail - 27.09.2023

Posted on the 27th September; received on the 19th October 2023

_________________________________________________________________________________

Sri Lanka is one of our planet's 36 Biodiversity Hot Spots. In order to classify for this distinction, the region has to meet the following two criteria:

- Contain at least 1,500 species of vascular plants found nowhere else on Earth (known as "endemic" species).

- Have lost at least 70 percent of its primary native vegetation

It is as such no surprise that many stamps issued by Sri Lanka Post are dedicated to the immensely rich fauna and flora of the country, as the ones used by Ravindra in one more lovely stamp laden cover I got from him. Thanks a lot, Ravindra.

The ten15 rupee stamps on the cover represent half of a 20 stamp sheet issued on 03MAR2020, highlighting species endangered by illegal trade  and I presume that all these beautiful animals are endemic to the Island sate.

From left to right, top to bottom, the eight animals and two plants represented in the stamps on the cover are:

Sri Lankan House Gecko (Hemidactylus pieresii)

This particular gecko endemic only to Sri Lanka, was first described in 1852 but hadn't been recorded for a long time until the discovery in 2012 of two populations in the island.

Nepenthes distillatoria

This is a member of the carnivorous Nepenthaceae family, species distillatoria being endemic to Sri Lanka. These plants also known as pitcher plants, presenting modified leaves that form traps filled with digestive liquid into which small animals fall and are then slowly digested by the plant.

Ranwella's Spined Tree Frog (Polypedates ranwellai)

This little tree frog is endemic only to the reserve of  Gilimale forest in Sri Lanka.

Serendib Scops Owl (Otus thilohoffmanni)

This owl was only first seen to science by human eyes in 2001 and is known to inhabit four locations in Sri Lanka.

Karu's Horned Lizard (Ceratophora karu)

Another animal known only to be found at a single habitat, in the case the Sinharaja Rain forest reserve.

Leschenault's Snake-Eye (Ophisops leschenaultii lankae)

This species of lizard is endemic to India and eastern Sri Lanka

Vanda tessellata

A beautiful orchid, with a distribution ranging from the Indian subcontinent to Indochina. It is also a  plant with various medicinal uses ranging from anti inflammatory and anti pyretic  to analgesic and aphrodisiac.

Indian Pangolin (Manis crassicaudata)

Endemic to the native subcontinent, this pangolin is under threat due to it being hunted for meat but also for the use of its scales in traditional medicine.

Haly's Tree Skink (Dasia haliana)

This is the the only arboreal skink in Sri Lanka, the only place in the world where it occurs.

Crimson Rose Swallowtail (Pachliopta hector)

This member of the Papilionidae family, is found in India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and possibly the coast of western Myanmar.

AQs usual with Ravindra's cover's the postmark hails from the central Post Office at Columbus, Sri Lanka's economic capital .