''Phelsuma abbotti'', commonly known as Abbott's day gecko, Aldabra day gecko, or Assumption day gecko, is a
species of
lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...
in the
family Gekkonidae.
Geographic range
''P. abbotti'' is found in
Madagascar and
Seychelles.
Subspecies
Three
subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
are distinguished:
*''
Phelsuma abbotti abbotti'' –
Aldabra Island day gecko (
Aldabra Atoll, the Seychelles)
*''
Phelsuma abbotti chekei
Cheke's day gecko (''Phelsuma abbotti chekei)'' is a subspecies of day gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae.
Etymology
The subspecific name, ''chekei'', is in honor of British ornithologist Anthony S. Cheke. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Micha ...
'' –
Cheke's day gecko (
Madagascar)
*''
Phelsuma abbotti sumptio'' –
Assumption Island day gecko (
Assumption Island, the Seychelles)
Habitat
The natural
habitats of ''P. abbotti'' are subtropical or tropical dry
forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical mangrove forests, subtropical or tropical dry
shrubland
Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity. It m ...
, rural gardens,
urban areas, and introduced vegetation.
Reproduction
''P. abbotti'' is
oviparous
Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), and ...
.
[
]
Etymology
''P. abbotti'' is named after American naturalist William Louis Abbott.[ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Phelsuma abbotti'', p. 1).]
References
Further reading
* Stejneger L (1893). "On some collections of reptiles and batrachians from East Africa and the adjacent islands, recently received from Dr. W. L. Abbott and Mr. William Astor Chanler, with descriptions of new species". ''Proceedings of the United States National Museum'' 16: 711–741. (''Phelsuma abbotti'', new species, pp. 716–717).
Phelsuma
Reptiles of Madagascar
Fauna of Seychelles
Reptiles described in 1893
Taxa named by Leonhard Stejneger
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
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