On 14 May 2016, a massive low-pressure system formed over the Bay of Bengal, causing torrential rainfall across Sri Lanka. It strengthened to form Cyclone Roanu. Over the next four days, the rain caused devastating floods and landslides across the eastern and southern parts of the country. According to Wikipedia, 101 people died and 100 are still missing.

On 17 May, a landslide occurred in Samsarakanda near Aranayaka in Kegalle District. It buried several homes, killing 21 people and leaving 123 missing. On this day, a team of biologists were conducting fieldwork near Aranayaka. They collected several fish species in a 3-km stretch of a headwater stream of the Ma Oya (river), at an elevation range of 238–266 m above sea level. The most abundant fish in the area, usually observed in shoals, was a small, colorful cyprinoid related to the popular danios of aquarium fame. It turned out to be a new species, now given the name Devario memorialis. The authors wrote:

“The species is named in memory of those who perished in the disastrous landslide at Aranayake, the type locality, in May 2016, while our fieldwork was in progress.” The generic name Devario dates to German zoologist Jacob Heckel (1790-1857). He proposed the genus in 1843, establishing (and naming) it for Cyprinus devario Hamilton 1822 of India, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Nepal. “Devario” is a latinization of “Debari,” the local Bengali name for this species.

PHOTO: Devario memorialis. From: Sudasinghe, H., R. Pethiyagoda and M. Meegaskumbura. 2020. Evolution of Sri Lanka’s giant danios (Teleostei: Cyprinidae: Devario): teasing apart species in a recent diversification. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution v. 149. Article 106853. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2020.106853