Checklist of ichthyofauna of Madampa-Lake sanctuary in Ambalangoda, Southwest Sri Lanka

Coastal lagoons provide unique services for many kinds of aquatic and semi aquatic organisms. Madampa-Lake is a brackish water lagoon containing a dynamic mangrove ecosystem complex with extraordinary genetic diversity, which is located in the southwest coastal belt near Ambalangoda city, Galle District. Very little literature is available on the Madampa-Lake’s fish and almost none of them have been published. A preliminary assessment on vertebrates and butterfly fauna was carried out during April 2009 to August 2010, and this article covers ichthyofaunal phase of the survey. Ichthyofauna diversity of Madampa is a combination of salt water (sea), brackish water and fresh water fish and their different life stages. During this study, a total of 49 species (33 families) were recorded, and this included two endemics and five alien species.