''Phelsuma parkeri'', commonly known as Parker's day gecko or the Pemba Island day gecko, 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 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 ...

Pemba Island Pemba Island ( ar, الجزيرة الخضراء ''al-Jazīra al-khadrā'', literally "The Green Island"; sw, Pemba kisiwa) is a Tanzanian island forming part of the Zanzibar Archipelago, lying within the Swahili Coast in the Indian Ocean. Geo ...

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...

, and typically inhabits banana trees and dwellings. The Pemba Island day gecko feeds on insects and nectar.

Etymology

Both the specific name, ''parkeri'', and one of the common names, Parker's day gecko, are in honor of English

herpetologist Herpetology (from Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians ( gymnophiona)) and rep ...

Hampton Wildman Parker Hampton Wildman Parker (5 July 1897 – 2 September 1968) was an English zoologist. Parker was Keeper of Zoology at the Natural History Museum from 1947 to 1957. He is the author of several works on snakes and frogs: Parker discovered a new speci ...

. Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii+ 296 pp. . (''Phelsuma parkeri'', p. 200).

Description

Parker's day gecko is a slender lizard and a mid-size day gecko. It can reach a total length (including tail) of about . The body colour is bright green. A faint red stripe extends from the nostril to the eye. On the back and limbs tiny black spots and speckles are present. This species has yellow eye rings. The ventral side is white.

Distribution

The Pemba Island day gecko is found only on 1,340-square-kilometre (517-square-mile)

, which has a few much smaller islands around its coast, and which is from the

n mainland.

Habitat

''Phelsuma parkeri'' is often found on different large

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s such as

banana tree 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 ...

s and

palm Palm most commonly refers to: * Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand * Palm plants, of family Arecaceae **List of Arecaceae genera * Several other plants known as "palm" Palm or Palms may also refer to: Music * Palm (ba ...

s. This species also lives near or on human dwellings.

Diet

Parker's day gecko feeds on various insects and other invertebrates. It also licks soft, sweet fruit, pollen and nectar.

Behaviour

The Pemba Island day gecko is quite shy and stays so, even in captivity.

Reproduction

The females of ''P. parkeri'' are

colony In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the '' metropolitan state' ...

nesters and many eggs can be found at one location. The neonates measure about .

Care and maintenance in captivity

Parker's day geckos should be housed in pairs. They need a large, well planted terrarium. The temperature should be about during the day. The humidity should be maintained around 65–75% during the day and slightly higher at night. In captivity, these animals can be fed with crickets, wax moth larvae, fruit flies, mealworms, and houseflies.