Boehme's giant day gecko (''Phelsuma madagascariensis boehmei'') is a diurnal

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of gecko, a lizard in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Gekkonidae Gekkonidae (the common geckos) is the largest family of geckos, containing over 950 described species in 64 genera. Members of the Gekkonidae comprise many of the most widespread gecko species, including house geckos ('' Hemidactylus''), tokay g ...

. The species is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to eastern

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

and typically inhabits rainforests and dwells on trees. Boehme's giant day gecko feeds on insects and nectar.

Etymology

Both the specific name, ''boehmei'', and the common name, Boehme's giant day gecko, are in honor of German herpetologist Wolfgang Böhme. Meier, Harald (1982). "''Ergebnisse zur Taxonomie und Ökologie einiger Arten und Unterarten der Gattung ''Phelsuma'' auf Madagaskar, gesammelt in den Jahren 1972 bis 1981, mit Beschreibung einer neuen Form'' ". ''Salamandra'' 18 (3/4): 168-190. (''Phelsuma madagascariensis boehmei'', new subspecies, pp. 183-186). (in German).

Description

''P. m. boehmei'' is among the largest living day geckos. It can reach a total length of about . The body colour is bright green. The skin between the scales has a black colour. A dark red-coloured stripe extends from the nostril to behind the eye. On the head and back there are irregularly shaped brownish or red-brick-coloured dots.

Geographic range

Boehme's giant day gecko only inhabits the region around Andasibe and Ranomafana in eastern Madagascar.

Habitat

''P. m. boehmei'' is a rainforest species and is often found on trees high in the canopy. The east coast of Madagascar has a humid and warm climate. However, from June–August, the night temperature can be as low as 10 °C (50 °F) and around 20–25 °C (68–77 °F) during the day.

Diet

Boehme's giant day gecko feeds on various insects and other invertebrates. It also likes to lick soft, sweet fruit, pollen and nectar.

Behaviour

''P. m. boehmei'' is apparently not as quarrelsome as other members of the genus ''Phelsuma''.

Reproduction

The pairing season of Boehme's giant day gecko is between November and January. During this period, the females lay up to 6 pairs of eggs. At a temperature of 28 °C (82.4 °F), the young will hatch after approximately 48–55 days. The hatchlings measure .

Care and maintenance in captivity

''P. m. boehmei'' should be housed in pairs, and needs a large, well planted terrarium. The humidity should be maintained between 75 and 100%. It is often suggested (McKeown, 1993; Henkel & Schmidt, 1995) that the daytime temperature should be between 25 and 28 °C (77 and 82.4 °F) between November and January. These authors also suggest that between July and August, the daytime temperature should be 25 °C (77 °F) while dropping it to 15 °C (59 °F) at night. This way one simulates the rainforest environment. However, the period between July and August corresponds with the warmest months on the northern hemisphere so active cooling might be necessary. For some breeders it therefore may be more adequate to shift this essential drop in temperature to the colder months (November–January) and the higher temperature to the months April–August. In captivity, ''P. m. boehmei'' can be fed with crickets, wax moths, fruit flies, mealworms, and houseflies.