Dr Gothamie Weerakoon

Dr Gothamie Weerakoon

Senior Curator, Lichens and Slime Moulds

Department: Life Sciences
Division: LS Algae, Fungi and Plants Division
  • Phone: +44 (0)20 7942 5250

Summary

I am Senior Curator of Lichens and Slime Moulds. My research interests are focused on the taxonomy and ecology of tropical lichens, bioindication and conservation of lichenised fungi in endangered habitats. My main responsibility as the Senior Curator of British, General and Historical herbaria is to manage and develop one of the world’s largest lichen collections, lichenicolous fungi and slime moulds with app. 450,000 specimens. The collection includes non-lichenised fungi and the earliest scientifically accurate collection of fungi models by J. Sowerby. I am interested in making the collections available for both scientific and historical research.

I have spent much time in the field in South and South East Asia observing lichens in their native habitats and described more than 75 new lichen species, mostly in Graphidaceae from the Old World tropics. My current projects involve:

1) A taxonomic key for Graphis, the most specious lichen genus in Sri Lanka,

2) IUCN red listing of threatened lichens in the world,

3) Collaborative research in renewable sources of bioactive products from endolichenic fungi in mangrove ecosystems,

4) Ecological relationships and bioindication of tropical lichens in threatened habitats in the tropics,

5) Documentation of the lichen flora of Sri Lanka and describing novel species.

I have been privileged to visit many countries and to work with many colleagues overseas.

Qualifications

Degrees

  • PhD, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka, 2009 - 2013
  • MSc, The University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, 2006 - 2009
  • BSc, The Open University of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka, 2004 - 2008

Postgraduate training

  • Taxonomy and diversity of Tropical Lichens, The Field Museum of Natural History- Chicago, USA, 2013 - 2016

Employment history

Academic

  • Senior Curator, Lichens and Slime Moulds, The Natural History Museum, Life Sciences, United Kingdom, 2018 - ongoing
  • Scientific Affiliate, The Field Museum of Natural History, Department of Science and Education, United States, 2013 - 2017
  • Doctoral Fellow, University of Sri Jayawardenepura, Department of Botany, Sri Lanka, 2009 - 2013

Highlighted publications

  • Lücking R, Forno MD, Moncada B, Coca LF, Vargas-Mendoza LY, Aptroot A, Arias LJ, Besal B, Bungartz F, Cabrera-Amaya DM, Cáceres MES, Chaves JL, Eliasaro S, Gutiérrez MC, Hernández Marin JE, De los Ángeles Herrera-Campos M, Holgado-Rojas ME, Jonitz H, Kukwa M, Lucheta F, Madriñán S, Marcelli MP, De Azevedo Martins SM, Mercado-Díaz JA, Molina JA, Morales EA, Nelson PR, Nugra F, Ortega F, Paredes T, Patiño AL, Peláez-Pulido RN, Pérez REP, Perlmutter GB, Rivas-Plata E, Robayo J, Rodríguez C, Simijaca DF, Soto-Medina E, Spielmann AA, Suárez-Corredor A, Torres J-M, Vargas CA, Yánez-Ayabaca A, Weerakoon G, Wilk K, Pacheco MC, Diazgranados M, Brokamp G, Borsch T, Gillevet PM, Sikaroodi M, Lawrey JD (2017) Turbo-taxonomy to assemble a megadiverse lichen genus: seventy new species of Cora (Basidiomycota: Agaricales: Hygrophoraceae), honouring David Leslie Hawksworth’s seventieth birthday. Fungal Diversity, (1) Springer Science and Business Media LLC : 139 - 207. doi: 10.1007/s13225-016-0374-9
  • APTROOT A, ERTZ D, ETAYO SALAZAR JA, GUEIDAN C, MERCADO DIAZ JA, SCHUMM F, WEERAKOON G (2016) The Lichenologist, (6) Cambridge University Press (CUP) : 609 - 638. doi: 10.1017/s002428291600013x
  • Li GJ, Hyde KD, Zhao RL, Hongsanan S, Abdel-Aziz FA, Abdel-Wahab MA, Alvarado P, Alves-Silva G, Ammirati JF, Ariyawansa HA, Baghela A, Bahkali AH, Beug M, Bhat DJ, Bojantchev D, Boonpratuang T, Bulgakov TS, Camporesi E, Boro MC, Ceska O, Chakraborty D, Chen JJ, Chethana KWT, Chomnunti P, Consiglio G, Cui BK, Dai DQ, Dai YC, Daranagama DA, Das K, Dayarathne MC, De Crop E, De Oliveira RJV, De Souza CAF, De Souza JI, Dentinger BTM, Dissanayake AJ, Doilom M, Drechsler-Santos ER, Ghobad-Nejhad M, Gilmore SP, Góes-Neto A, Gorczak M, Haitjema CH, Hapuarachchi KK, Hashimoto A, He MQ, Henske JK, Hirayama K, Iribarren MJ, Jayasiri SC, Jayawardena RS, Jeon SJ, Jerônimo GH, Jesus AL, Jones EBG, Kang JC, Karunarathna SC, Kirk PM, Konta S, Kuhnert E, Langer E, Lee HS, Lee HB, Li WJ, Li XH, Liimatainen K, Lima DX, Lin CG, Liu JK, Liu XZ, Liu ZY, Luangsa-ard JJ, Lücking R, Lumbsch HT, Lumyong S, Leaño EM, Marano AV, Matsumura M, McKenzie EHC, Mongkolsamrit S, Mortimer PE, Nguyen TTT, Niskanen T, Norphanphoun C, O’Malley MA, Parnmen S, Pawłowska J, Perera RH, Phookamsak R, Phukhamsakda C, Pires-Zottarelli CLA, Raspé O, Reck MA, Rocha SCO, De Santiago ALCMA, Senanayake IC, Setti L, Shang QJ, Singh SK, Sir EB, Solomon KV, Song J, Srikitikulchai P, Stadler M, Suetrong S, Takahashi H, Takahashi T, Tanaka K, Tang LP, Thambugala KM, Thanakitpipattana D, Theodorou MK, Thongbai B, Thummarukcharoen T, Tian Q, Tibpromma S, Verbeken A, Vizzini A, Vlasák J, Voigt K, Wanasinghe DN, Wang Y, Weerakoon G, Wen HA, Wen TC, Wijayawardene NN, Wongkanoun S, Wrzosek M, Xiao YP, Xu JC, Yan JY, Yang J, Da Yang S, Hu Y, Zhang JF, Zhao J, Zhou LW, Peršoh D, Phillips AJL, Maharachchikumbura SSN (2016) Fungal diversity notes 253–366: taxonomic and phylogenetic contributions to fungal taxa. Fungal Diversity, (1) Springer Science and Business Media LLC : 1 - 237. doi: 10.1007/s13225-016-0366-9
  • Weerakoon GSK (2016) Weerakoon, G., Wolseley, P., O. Arachchige, M.E. da Silva Cáceres, Jayalal, U., & Aptroot, A., 2016. 8 new Species and 88 new records of Lichens in Sri Lanka, The Bryologist, vol 119, pp.131-142.
  • Weerakoon G (2015) Fascinating Lichens of Sri Lanka. : null - null.
  • Weerakoon G, Ngo KM, Lum S, Lumbsch HT, Lücking R (2015) The Lichenologist, (3) Cambridge University Press (CUP) : 157 - 166. doi: 10.1017/s0024282915000043
  • Kraichak E, Parnmen S, Lücking R, PLATA ER, Aptroot A, Cáceres MES, ERTZ D, Mangold A, Mercado-Díaz JA, Papong K, BROECK DVD, WEERAKOON G, Lumbsch HT Revisiting the phylogeny of Ocellularieae, the second largest tribe within Graphidaceae (lichenized Ascomycota: Ostropales). Phytotaxa, (1) Magnolia Press : 52 - 52. doi: 10.11646/phytotaxa.189.1.6
  • LÜCKING R, JOHNSTON MK, APTROOT A, KRAICHAK E, LENDEMER JC, BOONPRAGOB K, CÁCERES MES, ERTZ D, FERRARO LI, JIA Z-F, KALB K, MANGOLD A, MANOCH L, MERCADO-DÍAZ JA, MONCADA B, MONGKOLSUK P, PAPONG KB, PARNMEN S, PELÁEZ RN, POENGSUNGNOEN V, PLATA ER, SAIPUNKAEW W, SIPMAN HJM, SUTJARITTURAKAN J, BROECK DVD, KONRAT MV, WEERAKOON G, LUMBSCH HT One hundred and seventy-five new species of Graphidaceae: closing the gap or a drop in the bucket?. Phytotaxa, (1) Magnolia Press : 7 - 7. doi: 10.11646/phytotaxa.189.1.4
  • WEERAKOON G, LÜCKING R, LUMBSCH HT Thirteen new species of Graphidaceae (lichenized Ascomycota: Ostropales) from Sri Lanka. Phytotaxa, (1) Magnolia Press : 331 - 331. doi: 10.11646/phytotaxa.189.1.24

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