Dr. A. A. Thasun
Research Associate (Systematic & Evolutionary Biology )
Dr. A.A. Thasun (also known as A.A. Thasun Amarasinghe) is an Indonesian citizen and renowned herpetologist internationally known for his research work in South and Southeast Asia. Thasun was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka on November 22nd, 1984. During childhood, he developed a passion for biology, with a special interest in herpetology. This led him to a formal study of the ecology, evolution, and systematics of amphibians and reptiles. Thasun completed his bachelor’s studies (2005–2010) in natural sciences and biodiversity management at several universities in Sri Lanka and the USA, and then a Masters in Research degree (biology; 2020–2021), which continued to a PhD research degree (2021–2023) at Universitas Indonesia. As a systematic biologist, Thasun devotes considerable time to preparing species descriptions and systematic revisions, usually initiated by findings in the field while collecting, and then analyzing DNA in molecular labs, and studying museum specimens. He has been carrying out such work in South and Southeast Asia since 2005, focusing mainly on the countries of Sri Lanka, India, the Indian Union Territory of Andaman & Nicobar, and Indonesia. So far Thasun has discovered and named over 35 species of amphibians and reptiles new to science.
His research interests include (i) processes of speciation, phylogeography, evolution, and the systematics of herpetofauna, (ii) the role of rainforest fragmentation in shaping regional faunal diversity (iii) human-wildlife conflicts and their mitigation, and (iv) climate change and other impacts on biodiversity, etc. Thasun is also strongly committed to furthering the IUCN’s vision and mission. He is the regional coordinator for Asia of the Skink Specialist Group (SSG) of the Species Survival Commission (SSC) in IUCN and a commission member of several other specialist groups. He is also involved in Regional Red List Assessments of Snakes and Lizards for Indonesia and Sri Lanka.
He is the co-editor-in-chief of the journal TAPROBANICA (Scopus) and the Associate Editor of AMPHIBIA-REPTILIA (Scopus Q1) Journal. Thasun has published several book chapters mostly on Indonesia’s Biodiversity and environment, and more than 100 research articles in Q1 and Q2 international journals (e.g., Biological Conservation, Nature Scientific Reports, Zoologica Scripta, Systematics & Biodiversity, Global Ecology & Conservation, Vertebrate Zoology, Aquatic Conservation, Marine & Freshwater Research, Herpetologica, etc.). He is currently a Research Associate at the Research Center for Climate Change (RCCC), FMIPA, Universitas Indonesia, and a research fellow at the National Research and Innovation Agency of the Republic of Indonesia (BRIN).
E-mail: thasun.taprobanica@gmail.com
thasun@herpetology.asia
Personal website: www.thasun.info
WhatsApp: +6281584353810
Publication
| Years | Title |
| 2021 | Herpetofaunal diversity of West Bali National Park, Indonesia with identification of indicator species for long-term monitoring. Global Ecology and Conservation |
| 2020 | A new species of Dendrelaphis Boulenger, 1890 (Reptilia: Colubridae) from the wet zone of Sri Lanka with a redescription of Dendrelaphis bifrenalis (Boulenger, 1890) |
| 2020 | A new species of Lankascincus Greer, 1991 (Reptilia: Scincidae) with an overview of the L. gansi group |
| 2020 | Rediscovery of Modigliani’s nose-horned lizard, Harpesaurus modiglianii Vinciguerra, 1933 (Reptilia: Agamidae) after 129 years without any observation |
| 2020 | Redescription of Lycodon travancoricus (Beddome, 1870)(Reptilia: Colubridae), an Indian endemic snake, with a review of its geographic range |
| 2020 | On two poorly known, insular skinks, Eutropis tytleri (Theobald, 1868) and E. andamanensis (Smith, 1935)(Reptilia: Scincidae), endemic to the Andaman Islands, India. |
| 2020 | A revision of Eutropis rudis (Boulenger, 1887), resurrection of E. lewisi (Bartlett, 1895) and description of a new species (Reptilia: Scincidae) from Great Nicobar |
| 2020 | Taxonomy and distribution of Liopeltis calamaria (Günther, 1858)(Reptilia: Colubridae), including redescription of the syntypes |
| 2020 | A new Bent-Toed Gecko species of the genus Cyrtodactylus GRAY, 1827 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the West Bali National Park, Bali, Indonesia |
| 2020 | A new diminutive day gecko species of the genus Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) from Pilikuttuwa, near the capital of Sri Lanka |
| 2020 | A reassessment of the systematic position of the Asian ranid frog Hylorana nicobariensis Stoliczka, 1870 (Amphibia: anura) with the description of a new genus |
| 2020 | On a gazelle eating a dove at Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve. Short Communication |
| 2019 | Systematic revision of Microhyla (Microhylidae) frogs of South Asia: a molecular, morphological, and acoustic assessment |
| 2018 | Systematic Composition of the Eutropis Multifasciata (Kuhl 1820) Species Complex (Squamata: Scincidae) and Designation of a Neotype |
| 2017 | Description of Five New Day Geckos of Cnemaspis kandiana Group (Sauria: Gekkonidae) from Sumatra and Mentawai Archipelago, Indonesia |
| 2017 | Systematics of Eutropis rugifera (Stoliczka, 1870) (Squamata: Scincidae) including the redescription of the holotype |
| 2017 | Ecological and behavioural traits of the Sri Lankan water monitor (Varanus salvator) in an urban landscape of Western Province, Sri Lanka |
| 2017 | Distribution, habitat associations and conservation implications of Sri Lankan freshwater terrapins outside the protected area network |
| 2016 | Taxonomy and natural history of Eutropis beddomei (Jerdon, 1870) (Reptilia: Scincidae), including a redescription of the holotype |
| 2016 | http://On the resolution of a long-standing issue surrounding the holotype of Cnemaspis podihuna Deraniyagala, 1944 (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) |
| 2016 | The Re-discovery of live populations of Cnemaspis tropidogaster (Boulenger, 1885) (Sauria, Gekkonidae) from Sri Lanka after 120 years |
| 2016 | Taxonomic Reassessment of the Arboreal Toad Genus Pedostibes Günther 1876 (Anura: Bufonidae) and Some Allied Oriental Bufonid Genera |
| 2016 | Resurrection of Pseudorabdion torquatum (A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril, 1854), a former synonym of P. longiceps (Cantor, 1847) (Colubridae: Calamariinae) from Sulawesi, Indonesia |
| 2016 | Taxonomy of two endemic Indian skinks, Eutropis bibrionii (Gray, 1838) and E. nagarjunensis (Sharma, 1969) (Reptilia: Scincidae), including redescriptions of their types |
| 2015 | Description of a Second Species of the Genus Rabdion Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854 (Colubridae: Calamariinae) from Sulawesi, Indonesia |
