A provisional checklist of cyanobacteria in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is a tropical island in the Indian Ocean with an impressive biodiversity. The contribution of microbes to this biodiversity is significant; yet many groups, such as cyanobacteria have not been adequately studied in Sri Lanka. The diverse ecosystems and habitats of Sri Lanka support a rich diversity and great abundance of cyanobacteria. Therefore, the unexplored diversity of cyanobacteria in Sri Lanka could surpass the number of species studied and recorded to date. In late 1800s and early 1900s, the researchers from the Western world had conducted several studies and published scientific records on algae, blue green algae and diatoms in Sri Lanka (then Ceylon); considering the island as one of the tropical regions with remarkable phytoplankton diversity. However, recently, researchers have increasingly focused on Sri Lankan cyanobacteria. As a result, several published records of Sri Lankan cyanobacteria are available after 1998. These scientific records published after 1900 are scattered in scientific journals, abstracts/proceedings and other written documents and not well sorted and documented into checklists or books. Therefore,  this provisional checklist of cyanobacteria was presented by compiling all species of cyanobacteria recorded in the country after early 1900s. The checklist comprises 671 entries of cyanobacteria, encompassing 74 genera in 37 families. Some cyanobacteria were identified only up to the order level, resulting in 3 cyanobacteria orders being recorded in the checklist. Additionally, it provides information on the available GPS coordinates, distribution/habitats, identification and the ability of toxin production of different species. This checklist provides solid evidence that Sri Lanka is a major contributor to the world’s cyanobacteria diversity, representing 48% of the cyanobacteria families reported worldwide to date. Therefore, this checklist will be useful in compiling the cyanobacteria biodiversity of Sri Lanka, highlighting its significant contribution to the world’s biodiversity and facilitating the implementation of future conservation measures.