? Barbour's day gecko
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: Squamata Suborder: Sauria Family: Gekkonidae Subfamily: Gekkoninae Genus: Phelsuma Species: P. barbouri
Binomial name
Phelsuma barbouri Loveridge, 1942

Barbour's day gecko (Phelsuma barbouri Loveridge, 1942) is a species of geckos. It is diurnal and lives in central Madagascar. It typically dwells on rocks. Barbour's day gecko feeds on insects and nectar. Download high resolution version (400x903, 205 KB) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms (as opposed to folk taxonomy). ... Phyla Subregnum Parazoa Porifera (sponges) Subregnum Agnotozoa Placozoa (trichoplax) Orthonectida (orthonectids) Rhombozoa (rhombozoans) Subregnum Eumetazoa Radiata (unranked) (radial symmetry) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria (coral, jellyfish, anemones) Bilateria (unranked) (bilateral symmetry) Acoelomorpha (basal) Orthonectida (parasitic to flatworms, echinoderms, etc. ... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicatas Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... Orders See text. ... Suborders Amphisbaenia - Worm lizards Sauria- Lizards Serpentes - Snakes Squamata (scaled reptiles) is the largest recent order of reptiles, including lizards and snakes. ... Groups Lepidosauromorpha Archosauromorpha Sauria is a clade of the reptilian family tree, that includes all living diapsids, as well as their common ancestor and all its extinct descendents, which date back to Permian times. ... This article describes gecko lizards. ... Genera Many, see text Genera Genus Afroedura Genus Afrogecko Genus Agamura Genus Ailuronyx Genus Alsophylax Genus Aristelliger Genus Asaccus Genus Blaesodactylus Genus Bogertia Genus Briba Genus Bunopus Genus Calodactylodes Genus Carinatogecko Genus Chondrodactylus Genus Christinus Genus Cnemaspis Genus Coleodactylus Genus Colopus Genus Cosymbotus Genus Crossobamon Genus Cryptactites Genus Cyrtodactylus Genus... Species 43 species; see text. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... In biology, a species is the basic unit of biodiversity. ... Subfamilies Aeluroscalabotinae Eublepharinae Gekkoninae Teratoscincinae Diplodactylinae Geckos are small to moderately large lizards belonging to the family Gekkonidae and found in warm climates throughout the world. ... A diurnal animal is an animal that sleeps during the night and is active during the day. ...

Description:

This lizard is a middle sized day gecko. It can reach a total length of about 13.5 cm. The body colour is brownish green or dark green. Both a dark brown dorso-lateral and a lateral stripe extend from head to tail. The extremities are normally brown. The tail is unicoloured green and slightly flattened.

Distribution:

This species inhabits the highlands of central Madagascar in the Ankaratra Mountains.

Habitat:

In contrast to other Phelsumas, P. barbouri typically lives on stones on the ground or on rocks. The climate of their habitat is extremely rough. There is a huge difference in temperature between night and day and between the different seasons. The maximum day temperature is 30°C. At night, it is cool and foggy.

Diet:

These day geckos feed on various insects and other invertebrates.

Behaviour:

These animals often live in small groups. During the day, they flatten their bodies to catch as much sun as possible. This way they can reach their preferred body temperature. During the night and in the early morning, P. barbouri has a dark color but when basking, the body color becomes brighter.

Reproduction:

The females glue their eggs under stones. Since more females may deposit their eggs at the same location, as many as 50 eggs may be found together. At a temperature of 28°C, the young will hatch after approximately 55 days. The neonates measure 32 mm.

Care and maintenance in captivity:

These animals should be housed in pairs and need a large terrarium which should provide many places to hide. Group breeding, however, is possible. The terrarium should be earth based with a number of flat rocks present. It is important that there are some spot lights for basking. The daytime temperature should be between around 29°C while at night, the temperature should drop to 20°C. In captivity, these animals can be fed with crickets, wax moths, fruit flies, mealworms and houseflies.

References:

• Henkel, F.-W. and W. Schmidt (1995) Amphibien und Reptilien Madagaskars, der Maskarenen, Seychellen und Komoren. Ulmer Stuttgart. ISBN 3-8001-7323-9
  
• McKeown, Sean (1993) The general care and maintenance of day geckos. Advanced Vivarium Systems, Lakeside CA.