Madagascar day gecko
Madagascar day gecko (Phelsuma madagascariensis madagascariensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: Squamata Family: Gekkonidae Subfamily: Gekkoninae Genus: Phelsuma Species: P. madagascariensis Subspecies: P. m. madagascariensis
Trinomial name
Phelsuma madagascariensis madagascariensis Gray, 1831

Madagascar day gecko (Phelsuma madagascariensis madagascariensis) is a diurnal subspecies of geckos. It lives on the eastern coast of Madagascar and typically inhabits rainforests and dwells on trees. The Madagascar day gecko feeds on insects and nectar. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (546x812, 174 KB) Summary Phelsuma madagascariensis madagascariensis, male, adult, in Terrarium. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... Digimon, the only known animals. ... Typical Classes See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... Subclasses Anapsida Diapsida Synonyms Reptilia Laurenti, 1768 Reptiles are tetrapods and amniotes, animals whose embryos are surrounded by an amniotic membrane, and members of the class Sauropsida. ... Suborders Lacertilia- Lizards Serpentes - Snakes Amphisbaenia - Worm lizards This article is about the Squamata order of reptiles. ... 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. ... Trinomial name Phelsuma madagascariensis madagascariensis Gray, 1831 Madagascar day gecko (Phelsuma madagascariensis madagascariensis (Gray 1831)) is a diurnal subspecies of geckos. ... Trinomial nomenclature is a taxonomic naming system that extends the standard system of binomial nomenclature by adding a third taxon. ... John Edward Gray. ... A diurnal animal (dī-ŭrnəl) is an animal that is active during the daytime and sleeps during the night. ... In zoology, as in other branches of biology, subspecies is the rank immediately subordinate to a species. ... Subfamilies Aeluroscalabotinae Eublepharinae Gekkoninae Teratoscincinae Diplodactylinae Geckos are small to moderately large lizards belonging to the family Gekkonidae which are found in warm climates throughout the world. ...

Scientific synonyms:

• Gekko madagascariensis Gray 1831
• Phelsuma sarrube [Wiegmann 1834]
• Phelsuma madagascariensis martensi Mertens 1962
• Phelsuma madagascariensis - Glaw & Vences 1994: 290

Appearance

This lizard belongs to the largest living day geckos. It can reach a total length of about 22 cm. The body color is light green or bluish green. The skin between the scales often has a light color. A rust-coloured stripe extends from the nostril to behind the eye. On the back there are brownish or red-brick coloured dots which may form a thin line along the mid back. These geckos do not have eyelids, and they have flattened toe pads. Juveniles can look quite different.

. juvenile Photo credit: Jurriaan Schulman File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

Distribution

This species inhabits the whole east coast of Madagascar. It can also be found on the islets Nosy Bohara and Ste. Marie.

Habitat

P. m. magascariensis is often found on trees along the edges of forests. They also inhabit local huts and banana trees. The east coast of Madagascar has a humid and warm climate.

Diet

These day geckos feed on various insects and other invertebrates. They also like to lick soft, sweet fruit, pollen and nectar.

Behaviour

Like most Phelsuma spec., the males can be quite quarrelsome and do not accept other males in their neighbourhood. In captivity, where the females cannot escape, the males can also sometimes seriously wound a female. In this case the male and female must be separated.

Reproduction

The pairing season is between November and the first weeks of April. During this period, the females lay up to 6 pairs of eggs. At a temperature of 28°C, the young will hatch after approximately 55 days. The juveniles measure 55–60 mm.

Care and maintenance in captivity

These animals should be housed alone, because they are highly territorial. Male and female pairs can get along but it is common that males harash females too much. They need a large, well planted terrarium.

The temperature should be between 25 and 28°C. On warm spot temperature should be 35-40°C. The humidity at night should be maintained between 75 and 90%, on daytime between 60 and 80% In captivity, these animals can be fed with crickets, wax moth larvae, fruit flies, mealworms and houseflies. Fresh tropical fruits, honey and fruity babyfoods are good to maintain their inner moisture.

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.