The speckled day gecko (''Phelsuma guttata'') 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 ...

gecko Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from . Geckos ar ...

s. It lives in 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

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

s and dwells on trees. The speckled day gecko feeds on

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs ...

s and

nectar Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualists ...

Description

This lizard belongs to the medium-sized day geckos. It can reach a total length of about 13 cm. The body colour of this slender and long-snouted gecko is dark green. There are several small orange spots on the middle and lower portion of the back. A black eye stripe extends from the nostril to above the ear opening. Typical for this species are several v-shaped stripes on the throat. The flanks, legs and toes are white speckled. Some populations have some blue spots in the neck region. The ventral side is grayish white.

Distribution

This species inhabits north-east Madagascar, along the coast. It can also be found on some nearby islets.

Habitat

''P. guttata'' typically lives in rainforests where they live on trees and avoid bright sun light. Since much of the primary rainforest has been cleared, this species is also found on bushes and introduced

banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguis ...

trees.

Diet

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

Behaviour

This ''Phelsuma'' species is often found in pairs on a tree. Juveniles mainly inhabit surrounding low shrubs.

Reproduction

The females lay a pair of eggs and hide them on the ground under foliage or wood or they may lay their eggs on trees under loose bark. At a temperature of 28 °C, the young will hatch after approximately 40–45 days. The juveniles measure 45 mm.

Care and maintenance in captivity

These animals should be housed in pairs in a well planted terrarium. The temperature should be between . The humidity should be maintained between 75. In captivity, these animals can be fed with crickets, wax moths, fruits flies, mealworms and houseflies.

References

*Henkel, F.-W., and W. Schmidt (1995) ''Amphibien und Reptilien Madagaskars, der Maskarenen, Seychellen und Komoren''. Stuttgart: Ulmer. * McKeown, Sean (1993) ''The general care and maintenance of day geckos''. Advanced Vivarium Systems, Lakeside CA. {{DEFAULTSORT:Speckled Day Gecko Phelsuma Reptiles described in 1922