''Phelsuma dubia'', also known as dull day gecko, olive day gecko, Zanzibar day gecko or green 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 gecko. It is about in length and lives on the western coast of

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 ...

, in the Comoros, and the coast of East Africa. It typically inhabits trees and can also be found near human dwellings. The Dull day gecko feeds on insects and nectar.

Scientific synonyms

*''Pachydactylus dubius'' Boettger, 1881 *''Phelsuma dubia'' - Kluge, 1993 *''Phelsuma dubia'' - Glaw & Vences, 1994: 298 *''Phelsuma dubia'' - Broadley & Howell, 1991: 10 *''Phelsuma dubia'' - Rösler, 2000: 101

Description

This lizard belongs to the medium-sized day geckos. It can reach a maximum length of approximately 15 cm. The body colour varies between grayish green, grayish brown and bluish green. The tail may be bright blue. A rust-coloured stripe extends from the nostril to the eye. There is a red v-shaped stripe on the snout. On the back there often are brownish or red-brick coloured dots. A gray lateral stripe extends from the eye to the hind leg. The ventral side is off-white coloured. Juveniles have a light brown dorsal surface with little light blue spots. The tail of neonates is yellow.

Distribution

This species inhabits the west coast of Madagascar in the general area of Majunga. It can also be found in the Comoros, in

Zanzibar Zanzibar (; ; ) is an insular semi-autonomous province which united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. It is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of many small islan ...

, and some coastal areas of mainland

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 ...

Habitat

''P. dubia'' can easily adapt to different biotopes. These day geckos are often found on different trees and other lowland vegetation. They also inhabit buildings as a human

commensal Commensalism is a long-term biological interaction (symbiosis) in which members of one species gain benefits while those of the other species neither benefit nor are harmed. This is in contrast with mutualism, in which both organisms benefit fro ...

Diet

These day geckos feed on various

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 ...

s and other

invertebrate Invertebrates are a paraphyletic group of animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''backbone'' or ''spine''), derived from the notochord. This is a grouping including all animals apart from the chordate ...

s. They also like to lick soft, sweet fruit, pollen, nectar and balsamic vinegar.

Behaviour

''P. dubia'' often lives in small groups with one male and several females.

Reproduction

The females are egg gluers. They often lay their

eggs Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...

in the same location as other females.

Care and maintenance in captivity

Phelsuma dubia is currently common and widespread. However, capture of these geckos is regulated, as it may have caused population declines and, as it is large-scale, might threaten the species in the future. These animals should be housed in pairs and need a medium-sized terrarium. The temperature should be between 25 and 28 °C. The humidity should be not too high. In captivity, these animals can be fed with

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...

wax moth Waxworms are the caterpillar larvae of wax moths, which belong to the family Pyralidae (snout moths). Two closely related species are commercially bred – the lesser wax moth (''Achroia grisella'') and the greater wax moth (''Galleria m ...

fruit flies Fruit fly may refer to: Organisms * Drosophilidae, a family of small flies, including: ** ''Drosophila'', the genus of small fruit flies and vinegar flies ** ''Drosophila melanogaster'' or common fruit fly ** '' Drosophila suzukii'' or Asian frui ...

, meal worms and

houseflies The housefly (''Musca domestica'') is a fly of the suborder Cyclorrhapha. It is believed to have evolved in the Cenozoic Era, possibly in the Middle East, and has spread all over the world as a commensal of humans. It is the most common f ...

References

* Henkel, F.-W. and W. Schmidt (1995) ''Amphibien und Reptilien Madagaskars, der Maskarenen, Seychellen und Komoren''. Ulmer Stuttgart. * McKeown, Sean (1993) ''The general care and maintenance of day geckos''. Advanced Vivarium Systems, Lakeside CA. {{Taxonbar, from=Q3012408 dubia Reptiles described in 1881 Geckos of Africa Taxa named by Oskar Boettger