Dr (Mrs) D.K. Hettiarachchi

Memberships of Professional Bodies/Associations

• Member of Health and Safety committee – BPRC

• Member of International Society for Chemical

• Member of Asia Pacific Association of Chemical Ecologist

• Member of International Organization for Biological Control

• Vice president, Lincoln University Postgraduate Society (2016 – 2017)

• Member of Bio-Protection Postgrad/postdoc committee (2016 – 2018)

• Toastmaster (Lincoln, New Zealand club from 2017 to 2018)

Publications

Journal articles

• Hettiarachchi, D.K., Cripps, M., Jackman, S., van Koten, C., Sullivan, J. & Rostás, M. (2018) Impact of the biocontrol beetle, Cassida rubiginosa, on the secondary weed target, marsh thistle (Cirsium palustre). New Zealand Plant Protection, 71.

• Chirino-Valle I, Kandula D, Littlejohn C, Hill R, Walker M, Shields M, Cummings N, Hettiarachchi D, Wratten S 2016. Potential of the beneficial fungus Trichoderma to enhance ecosystem-service provision in the biofuel grass Miscanthus x giganteus in agriculture. Scientific reports 6: 25109.

• Hettiarachchi D.K., Wellapuliarachchi S.M., Nathanael E.S., de Silva A., Goonesekara M.M., Bauer A.M. and Rudge J. (2010). Mihintale Sanctuary: A Hotspot for the Endangered Dwaf Day Gecko Cnemespis podihuna, Deraniyagala, 1944 (Reptilia: Gekkonidae). Gekko , The Journal of Global Gecko Association. 6(1): 61 – 64.

• Hettiarachchi D.K., Wellapuliarachchi S.M., Nathanael E.S., de Silva A., Goonesekara M.M., Bauer A.M. and Rudge J. (2010). The Gecko Diversity of the Mihintale Sanctuary, Sri Lanka. The Biological Diversity of Mihintale: With Special Reference to its Herptofauna, Lyriocephalus Special Issue 7(1 and 2): 27-32.

• Hettiarachchi D.K., Wellapuliarachchi S.M., Nathanael E.S., de Silva A., Goonesekara M.M., Bauer A.M. and Rudge J. (2010). Notes on the Biology and the Ecology of the Endemic Gecko Hemidactylus depressus (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) in the Mihintale Sanctuary, Sri Lanka. The Biological Diversity of Mihintale: With Special Reference to its Herptofauna, Lyriocephalus Special Issue 7(1 and 2): 43 – 47.

• Hettiarachchi D.K., Wellapuliarachchi S.M., Nathanael E.S., de Silva A. and Goonesekara (2010). Knowledge, Attitude and Traditional Beleifs on Geckoes at Mihintale. The Biological Diversity of Mihintale: With Special Reference to its Herptofauna, Lyriocephalus Special Issue 7(1 and 2): 105 – 109.

Extended abstracts

• Hettiarachi, D.K., Cripps, M.G., Cruikshank, R.H. & Rostás, M. (2017) A phylogenetic approach to assessing olfactory host selection in Cassida rubiginosa (Chrysomelidae). In Invertebrate Ecology of Australasian Grasslands. Proceedings of the Ninth ACGIE (ed S.N. Johnson), pp. 59-61. Western Sydney University, Hawkesbury, NSW, Australia. doi: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.4910033.v1

International Conferences

• The role of thistle phylogeny on long-range and short-range host selection behaviour of the biocontrol agent Cassida rubiginosa. (2018). International Symposium on Biological Control of Weeds (ISBCW). Hotel Bellevue-Terminus, Engelberg, Switzerland. 26-31 August 2018 – Oral presentation

• Tripartite interactions between Cassida rubiginosa and two fungal biocontrol agents on Cirsium arvense: plant volatile perspective. (2018). The 34th annual meeting of the International Society of Chemical Ecology (ISCE), Novelty Budapest hotel, Budapest, Hungary. 12-18 August 2017 – Poster presentation

• Thistle phylogeny determines volatile-mediated host plant recognition in the weed biocontrol agent Cassida rubiginosa (Poster). Presented at the International Society of Chemical Ecology (ISCE) Conference, Kyoto, Japan. August 2017.

• Wake up and smell the thistles! Using plant volatiles to assess the host suitability in an oligophagous biocontrol beetle (Poster). Presented at the Ninth Australasian Conference on Grassland Invertebrate Ecology (ACGIE) Sydney, Australia. April 2016.

• Follow the smell! “Volatiles” for locating host plants. (2016). Lincoln University Postgraduate Conference, Lincoln University, Lincoln, New Zealand. 24 and 25August 2016 – Oral presentation

• Potential of maintaining rural tanks and the diversity of aquatic plants through sustainable utilization- A case study in Anuradhapura District (Oral). Presented at International Conference on Conserving Biodiversity for Sustainable Development (INCCBSD), Rourkela, India. August 2013.

National Conferences

• Diversity and utilization of aquatic plants in three tanks in the Anuradhapura district (Oral). Presented at the Peradeniya University International Research Session, Sri Lanka. July 2014.

• Observation on Hemidactylus depressus, an endemic gecko in the Mihinthale Sanctuary (Oral). Presented at the Annual Research Session, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka. August 2009.

• A behavioural study of the Toque monkey Macaca sinica sinica with special reference to its feeding habits (Oral). Presented at the Annual Research Session, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka. August 2007.