Boundaries

Includes all of Sri Lanka, except for streams in the wet zone [ecoregion 718].

Description of endemic fishes

The ecoregion contains endemic species, although there are three species that are endemic to Sri Lanka [ecoregions 717, 718].

Justification for delineation

For Southeast Asia, delineations were determined using a bottom-up approach that employed both published and unpublished field data and expert assessment (Abell et al. 2008; Pethiyagoda 1991). The ecoregion is distinguished from ecoregion 718 by differences in climate and fauna. It shares similar fauna, but different vegetation and climate with the Southeastern Ghats [ecoregion 716] on the Indian Peninsula (M. Kottelat pers. comm. 2006).