''Phelsuma pusilla hallmanni'' is a diurnal subspecies 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 subspecies 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 different trees. This day gecko feeds on insects and nectar.

Etymology

The

subspecific name In zoological nomenclature, a subspecific name is the third part of a trinomen. In zoology there is only one rank below that of species, namely "subspecies". In botanical nomenclature, there are several levels of subspecific names, such as ''var ...

, ''hallmanni'', is in honor of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

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 ...

Gerhard Hallmann.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Phelsuma pusilla hallmanni'', p. 114).

Description

''Ph. p. hallmanni'' belongs to the smallest day geckos. It can reach a total length (including tail) of about . The body colour is dark green. On the back there are red dots present. On the snout, a blue triangle is present, which is bordered from behind by a red bar. On the neck and back of the head bluish speckles are present. The tail is turquoise. The flanks are brown or black. The ventral side is white.

Geographic range

The subspecies ''Ph. p. hallmanni'' inhabits the east coast of Madagascar. It is only known from the region around Andasibe.

Habitat

''Ph. p. hallmanni'' lives in a moist and warm climate. It inhabits different trees and can often be found on trees on the edge of forest along the road.

Diet

''Ph. p. hallmanni'' feeds on various insects and other invertebrates. It also likes to lick soft, sweet fruit, pollen and nectar.

Behaviour

''Ph. p. hallmanni'' is quite quarrelsome and does not accept other males. In captivity, where the female cannot escape, the male can also sometimes seriously wound a female. In this case the male and female must be separated.

Reproduction

The pairing season of ''Ph. p. hallmanni'' is between October and the first weeks of May.

Care and maintenance in captivity

''Ph. p. hallmanni'' should be housed in pairs and needs a well planted terrarium. The temperature should be about 28 °C (82 °F), locally around 30 °C (86 °F), during the day, and drop to around 20 °C (68 °F) at night. The humidity should be maintained between 75 and 80% during the day. It is also important to include two colder months with a daytime temperature of 24 °C (75 °F) and 16 °C (61 °F) at night. In captivity, it can be fed crickets, wax moth larvae, fruit flies, mealworms and houseflies.