Blue-tailed day gecko (Phelsuma cepediana) 2

The blue-tailed day gecko (''Phelsuma cepediana'') 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 ...

, a

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 Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

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 ge ...

. 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 elsew ...

to the island

Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It incl ...

. It typically inhabits warm and humid places and dwells on different trees and bushes. Additionally, it is noteworthy that the blue-tailed day gecko can change colors and patterns ontogenetically. Depending on the activity, coloration can differ.

Etymology

The specific name, ''cepediana'', is in honor of French naturalist

Bernard Germain de Lacépède Bernard-Germain-Étienne de La Ville-sur-Illon, comte de Lacépède or La Cépède (; 26 December 17566 October 1825) was a French naturalist and an active freemason. He is known for his contribution to the Comte de Buffon's great work, the ...

Description

''Phelsuma cepediana'' is a mid-sized day gecko. It can reach a total length (including tail) of 3.75-5.5″ (9.5-14cm). Female blue tailed geckos are usually smaller in size than the male. Male blue tailed geckos are typically more vivid than female blue tailed geckos. The male body colour is light green or bluish green. The backs of males have a bright blue colour and are covered with dark red spots and dashes. The males have deep blue tails; this blue color may also be found on their face. Females lack the brilliant blue colour of the males. They have a bright green back and rust-coloured spots. There is always a dorso-lateral stripe present, which may be broken. A red stripe extends from the nostril to the shoulder.

Habitat and distribution

Blue tailed geckos and other reptiles are sensitive to artificial light at night and will change their behaviors as a result of being exposed to this light. These geckos are primarily diurnal, as are most of the geckos in their genus (

Phelsuma ''Phelsuma'' is a large genus of geckos in the family Gekkonidae. Species in the genus ''Phelsuma'' are commonly referred to as day geckos. Some day geckos are seriously endangered and some are common, but all ''Phelsuma'' species are CITES App ...

). It has been found that blue tailed geckos will change their foraging behavior from diurnal to

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

in cases where they have artificial light sources at their disposal. Nocturnal activity includes agonistic or aggressive behaviors, courtship, and foraging. When artificial lights are used in nocturnal situations, it alters the amount of time and effort that visual predators will spend foraging. The ''Phelsuma cepediana'' is one of only seven species of the

Mascarene The Mascarene Islands (, ) or Mascarenes or Mascarenhas Archipelago is a group of islands in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar consisting of the islands belonging to the Republic of Mauritius as well as the French department of Réunion. Their ...

species that is still alive. This species is the sole pollinator and seed disperser of a climbing shrub, the ''

Roussea simplex ''Roussea simplex'' is a woody climber of 4–6 m high, that is endemic to the mountain forest of Mauritius. It is the only species of the genus ''Roussea'', which is assigned to the family Rousseaceae. It has opposing, entire, obovate, gre ...

'', which is endemic to the mountains of the

. They can typically be found on trees and bushes that produce fruits, such as coconut palms, banana trees, and papayas. These locations are warm and moist climates, which are preferred by this gecko. The blue-tailed day gecko inhabits the island

where it is widely distributed. ''P. cepediana'' may also have been introduced to

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 ...

where it has been reported a few times, amongst others in the region of Iviloina. These observations have not been confirmed, however. Although these lizards seem to be unable to colonize agricultural areas, they can survive in suburban gardens that are heavily watered and planted as long as these gardens are near trees that produce fruit or flowers throughout the year.

Diet

The blue-tailed day gecko feeds on various insects and other

invertebrates 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 ...

. It also licks soft, sweet fruit, pollen, and nectar. The flowers of the now critically endangered liana ''

'' produce copious amounts of nectar and are pollinated only by the blue-tailed day gecko. The blue-tailed day gecko plays a role by licking up a gelatinous substance secreted by the fruit which contains the minute seeds. It disperses the seeds in its droppings.

Behavior

This ''Phelsuma'' species can be quite aggressive both toward its own and to other ''Phelsuma'' species. In captivity, where the females cannot escape, the males sometimes seriously wound the female. In this case, the male and female must be separated.

Protective coloration and behavior

Lizards can change in color and pattern ontogenetically. Conspicuous tail colors appear only in juveniles and can fade by adulthood. Research has been conducted in order to determine if these tail colors compensate for “an increased activity, level, deflecting imminent attacks to the tail.” Research has suggested that alteration of activities can affect the ontogenetic color and pattern changes. Lizards that are active and forage in habitats that are open tend to increase the probability that they will be attacked by ambush predators. Deflection displays and conspicuous colors can shift attacks to the expendable tail. By doing this, the prey’s overall likelihood of surviving the attack is increased.

Reproduction

Blue tailed geckos lay eggs every 3-4 weeks. They typically lay 2 eggs. The females will lay their eggs in a location that they feel is safe and protected. The geckos will glue their eggs in order to increase safety. When they are kept at a temperature of 28 degrees Celsius, the eggs take between 40 and 45 days to hatch. When the new borns are measured, they are normally around 40 mm or 1.6 inches.

Predators

These geckos frequently will hide amongst dense patches of palm-like Pandanus plants in order to protect themselves from their enemies. The ''Phelsuma cepediana'' is preyed on by critically endangered

Mauritius kestrel The Mauritius kestrel (''Falco punctatus'') is a bird of prey from the family Falconidae endemic to the forests of Mauritius, where it is restricted to the southwestern plateau's forests, cliffs, and ravines. It is the most distinct of the Indi ...

. This bird feeds almost exclusively on ''Phelsuma'' geckos, making ''Phelsuma cepediana'' one of its main prey. Other birds that are endemic to Mauritius also feed off of ''Phelsuma'' geckos. The 2mm-long ant ''

Technomyrmex albipes ''Technomyrmex albipes'', commonly known as the white-footed ant, is a species of ant first described in 1861 from Sulawesi, Indonesia by the British entomologist Frederick Smith. Invasive pest ants in Florida, previously identified as ''T. alb ...

'' that was introduced to Mauritius from the Indo-Pacific area seals the flowers of ''Roussea'' with clay to protect mealy bugs. These drink the sap and excrete a sugary urine that is collected by the ants. The ants attack animals that visit the plant, preventing the blue-tailed day gecko from pollinating the flowers and eating from the fruit, and in this way seriously hampering ''Roussea's'' reproduction.

Captivity

Male ''Phelsuma cepediana'' are extremely high in demand as pets due to their vibrant coloration, and can cost $100 to $200 each. With good care, blue-tailed day geckos may live up to 15 years.