''Phelsuma'' is a large

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

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. They range from . Geckos are unique among lizards ...

s in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Gekkonidae Gekkonidae (the common geckos) is the largest family of geckos, containing over 950 described species in 62 genera. The Gekkonidae contain many of the most widespread gecko species, including house geckos (''Hemidactylus''), the tokay gecko (''Ge ...

Species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

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 Appendix II CITES (shorter acronym for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of inte ...

listed. Little is known about trade in day geckos, but the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

considers it a threat to some species. Some species are captive-bred.

Taxonomy

The genus itself is thought to have originated anywhere between the

Late Cretaceous The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the more recent of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''cre ...

to the mid-

Eocene The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes ...

(43 to 75 mya), as that is when its lineage is known to have diverged from the one containing the Namaqua day gecko (''Rhoptropella''), although it is unknown how closely related both genera are. The

crown group In phylogenetics, the crown group or crown assemblage is a collection of species composed of the living representatives of the collection, the most recent common ancestor of the collection, and all descendants of the most recent common ancestor ...

containing all recent species is thought to have originated in the early

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch (geology), epoch of the Paleogene Geologic time scale, Period that extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that defin ...

, about 30 million years ago, with the most basal of them being the isolated

Andaman day gecko The Andaman day gecko (''Phelsuma andamanensis''), also known as the Andaman Islands day gecko, is a species of gecko in the genus ''Phelsuma''. It is Endemism, endemic to the Andaman Islands of India, and has recently been Introduced species, in ...

(''P. andamanensis''), which diverged from all other species shortly after the crown group originated. Most of the other divergence among species in areas of the Western Indian Ocean such as the

Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (; Seychellois Creole: ), is an island country and archipelagic state consisting of 155 islands (as per the Constitution) in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, Victoria, ...

is thought to have occurred in the

Neogene The Neogene ( ,) is a geologic period and system that spans 20.45 million years from the end of the Paleogene Period million years ago ( Mya) to the beginning of the present Quaternary Period million years ago. It is the second period of th ...

Description

In contrast to most other

species, day geckos of the genus ''Phelsuma'' are active mainly during the day. Other diurnal geckos include species of the genera ''

Lygodactylus ''Lygodactylus'' is a genus of Diurnality, diurnal geckos with 82 species. They are commonly referred to as dwarf geckos. They are mainly found in Africa and Madagascar although two species are found in South America. ''Lygodactylus picturatus'' ...

'' and ''

Gonatodes ''Gonatodes'' is a genus of New World dwarf geckos of the family Sphaerodactylidae. Description The majority of the species in the genus ''Gonatodes'' are diurnally active, scansorial, and sexually dichromatic, with adult body size (snout–ve ...

''. Like most other geckos, day geckos lack eyelids, instead having rounded pupils and a clear, fixed plate covering their eyes which they clean with their tongues. Many species have bright green, red, and blue colors which make them popular

terrarium A terrarium ( terraria or terrariums) is a glass container containing soil and plants in an environment different from the surroundings. It is usually a sealable container that can be opened for maintenance or to access the plants inside; howeve ...

vivarium A vivarium (; or vivariums) is an area, usually enclosed, for keeping and raising animals or plants for observation or research. Water-based vivaria may have open tops providing they are not connected to other water bodies. An animal enclosur ...

pets. These brilliant colors play a role in intraspecies recognition and also serve as camouflage. The total length (including tail) of the different ''Phelsuma'' species varies between about , but the extinct Rodrigues giant day gecko was even larger. Day geckos have toe pads consisting of tiny lamellae which allow them to walk on plain vertical and inverted surfaces like bamboo or glass. The inner toe on each foot is

vestigial Vestigiality is the retention, during the process of evolution, of genetically determined structures or attributes that have lost some or all of the ancestral function in a given species. Assessment of the vestigiality must generally rely on co ...

. Males have well-developed femoral pores on the undersurface of their rear limbs. These pores are less developed or absent in females. Females often have well-developed endolymphatic chalk sacs on the sides of their necks. These sacs store calcium, which is needed for egg production. Those eggs can often be seen through the ventral surface of the female's body shortly before they are laid. The hatchlings reach sexual maturity between six and 12 months old. Smaller species may live up to 10 years, whereas the larger species have been reported to live more than 20 years in captivity.

Distribution and habitat

Day geckos inhabit the islands of the south-west part of the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

. The exceptions are '' Phelsuma andamanense'', which is endemic to the

Andaman Islands The Andaman Islands () are an archipelago, made up of 200 islands, in the northeastern Indian Ocean about southwest off the coasts of Myanmar's Ayeyarwady Region. Together with the Nicobar Islands to their south, the Andamans serve as a mari ...

in the

Bay of Bengal The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. Geographically it is positioned between the Indian subcontinent and the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese peninsula, located below the Bengal region. Many South Asian and Southe ...

, and '' Phelsuma dubia'', which is also found on the East Coast of mainland Africa, although it possibly was introduced there. Most ''Phelsumas'' species are found in

Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...

and

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

. Some species are found on neighboring island groups, including the

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

, and

Comoros The Comoros, officially the Union of the Comoros, is an archipelagic country made up of three islands in Southeastern Africa, located at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city is Moroni, ...

. Due to human introduction, they are also often found on some of the

Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands () are an archipelago of eight major volcanic islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the Pacific Ocean, North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the Hawaii (island), island of Hawaii in the south to nort ...

, including the Big Island, Maui and

Kauai Kauai (), anglicized as Kauai ( or ), is one of the main Hawaiian Islands. It has an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), making it the fourth-largest of the islands and the 21st-largest island in the United States. Kauai lies 73 m ...

, and the state of

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, where they were introduced as a form of pest control. The different ''Phelsuma'' species can be found from sea level up to 2,300 meters. Most day geckos are arboreal. They inhabit, amongst others,

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...

palms and

banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large treelike herbaceous flowering plants in the genus '' Musa''. In some countries, cooking bananas are called plantains, distinguishing the ...

trees, but can also be found near human settlements, in gardens, on fences, houses, and huts. An exception, ''

Phelsuma barbouri Barbour's day gecko (''Phelsuma barbouri)'' is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to central Madagascar. It is diurnal and typically dwells on rocks. Barbour's day gecko feeds on insects and nectar. Etymology ...

'', is a terrestrial species.

Diet

Day geckos feed on various

insect Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...

s and other

invertebrate Invertebrates are animals that neither develop nor retain a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''spine'' or ''backbone''), which evolved from the notochord. It is a paraphyletic grouping including all animals excluding the chordata, chordate s ...

s in the wild. They also eat nectar, pollen, and occasionally soft, ripe and sweet fruits such as bananas. In captivity, such a diet is simulated. Insects which may be used include: (wingless) fruit flies, various

flies Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwin ...

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 ...

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

s, small super worms, small

butter worm The Chilean moth (''Chilecomadia moorei'') is a moth of the family Cossidae. The butterworm is the larval form and is commonly used as fishing bait in South America."The Incredible Edible Worm", by Audrey Pavia, ''Reptiles Magazine'', July, 2007 ...

s and

mealworm Mealworms are the larval form of the yellow mealworm beetle, ''Tenebrio molitor'', a species of darkling beetle. The yellow mealworm beetle prefers a warmer climate and higher humidity. Male mealworm beetles release a sex pheromone to attract ...

s. Fruit, which is required a few times a week, may be small pieces of

papaya The papaya (, ), papaw, () or pawpaw () is the plant species ''Carica papaya'', one of the 21 accepted species in the genus '' Carica'' of the family Caricaceae, and also the name of its fruit. It was first domesticated in Mesoamerica, within ...

, or other sweet fruit and also commercial gecko nectars. In 2008 a

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

film crew took footage of a day gecko successfully begging a

planthopper A planthopper is any insect in the infraorder Fulgoromorpha, in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha, a group exceeding 12,500 described species worldwide. The name comes from their remarkable resemblance to leaves and other plants of their environment ...

for honeydew.

Etymology

The genus ''Phelsuma'' was first described in 1825 by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

zoologist Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the structure, embryology, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems. Zoology is one ...

John Edward Gray John Edward Gray (12 February 1800 – 7 March 1875) was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of zoologist George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray (1766–1828). The same is used for a z ...

, who named it after the

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

Murk van Phelsum.

Classification

The genus consists of about 70 known

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

and

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

. Two ''Phelsuma'' species ('' Phelsuma gigas'' and '' Phelsuma edwardnewtoni''), both of which were endemic to the

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

island of

Rodrigues Rodrigues ( ; Mauritian Creole, Creole: ) is a Autonomous administrative division, autonomous Outer islands of Mauritius, outer island of the Republic of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, about east of Mauritius. It is part of the Mascarene Isl ...

, are now considered to be

extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...

, probably due to the destruction of their environments by human settlers and their domestic animals. Many day gecko species are endangered today for similar reasons: an increasing percentage of their natural habitat, especially tropical forest, is being destroyed by human activity. *'' Phelsuma abbotti'' **'' Phelsuma abbotti abbotti'' – Aldabra Island day gecko **'' Phelsuma abbotti chekei'' – Cheke's day gecko **'' Phelsuma abbotti sumptio'' – Assumption Island day gecko *'' Phelsuma andamanensis'' – Andaman Islands day gecko *'' Phelsuma antanosy'' *'' Phelsuma astriata'' – Seychelles day gecko ** '' Phelsuma astriata astovei'' **'' Phelsuma astriata astriata'' – Seychelles small day gecko **'' Phelsuma astriata semicarinata'' *''

'' – Barbour's day gecko *'' Phelsuma berghofi'' *'' Phelsuma borai'' *'' Phelsuma borbonica'' **'' Phelsuma borbonica agalegae'' – Agalega day gecko **'' Phelsuma borbonica borbonica'' – Reunion Island day gecko **'' Phelsuma borbonica mater'' *'' Phelsuma breviceps'' *''

Phelsuma cepediana The blue-tailed day gecko (''Phelsuma cepediana''), also known Common name, commonly as Lacépède's gecko, is a diurnal animal, diurnal species of gecko, a lizard in the Family (biology), family Gekkonidae. The species is Endemism, endemic to ...

'' – blue-tailed day gecko *'' Phelsuma comorensis'' *'' Phelsuma dorsivittata'' *'' Phelsuma dubia'' – dull day gecko, Zanzibar day gecko *'' Phelsuma edwardnewtoni'' – Rodrigues day gecko (extinct, last seen 1917) *'' Phelsuma flavigularis'' – yellow-throated day gecko *'' Phelsuma gigas'' – Rodrigues giant day gecko (extinct, last seen 1842) *'' Phelsuma gouldi'' *'' Phelsuma grandis'' – Madagascar giant day gecko *'' Phelsuma guentheri'' – Round Island day gecko *'' Phelsuma guimbeaui'' – orange-spotted day gecko, Mauritius lowland forest day gecko *'' Phelsuma guttata'' – speckled day gecko *'' Phelsuma hielscheri'' *'' Phelsuma hoeschi'' *'' Phelsuma inexpectata'' – Reunion Island ornate day gecko *'' Phelsuma kely'' *'' Phelsuma klemmeri'' – yellow-headed day gecko *'' Phelsuma kochi'' – Koch's day gecko, Koch's giant day gecko, Madagascar day gecko, Maevatanana day gecko *'' Phelsuma laticauda'' – broad-tailed day gecko **''

Phelsuma laticauda angularis ''Phelsuma laticauda angularis'' Mertens, 1964 is a diurnal subspecies of geckos. It lives in northern Madagascar and typically inhabits different trees and houses. The Gold dust day gecko feeds on insects and nectar. Description This lizard ...

Phelsuma pusilla pusilla ''Phelsuma pusilla pusilla'' is a diurnal animal, diurnal gecko and lives in eastern Madagascar. It typically inhabits different trees and houses. This day gecko feeds on insects and nectar. Scientific synonyms *''Phelsuma lineata pusilla'' Rob ...

'' *'' Phelsuma quadriocellata'' – peacock day gecko **''Phelsuma quadriocellata quadriocellata'' – four-spotted day gecko **''Phelsuma quadriocellata bimaculata'' **''Phelsuma quadriocellata lepida'' *'' Phelsuma ravenala'' *'' Phelsuma robertmertensi'' –

Robert Mertens Robert Friedrich Wilhelm Mertens (1 December 1894 – 23 August 1975) was a German herpetologist. Several taxa of reptiles are named after him.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore ...

's day gecko *'' Phelsuma roesleri'' *'' Phelsuma rosagularis'' – Mauritius upland forest day gecko *'' Phelsuma seippi'' – Seipp's day gecko *'' Phelsuma serraticauda'' – flat-tailed day gecko *'' Phelsuma standingi'' – Standing's day gecko *'' Phelsuma sundbergi'' – Praslin Island day gecko **'' Phelsuma sundbergi ladiguensis'' – La Digue day gecko **'' Phelsuma sundbergi longinsulae'' – Mahé day gecko **'' Phelsuma sundbergi sundbergi'' – Seychelles giant day gecko *'' Phelsuma vanheygeni'' *'' Phelsuma v-nigra'' – Indian day gecko **'' Phelsuma v-nigra anjouanensis'' – Anjouan Island day gecko **'' Phelsuma v-nigra comoraegrandensis'' – Grand Comoro day gecko **'' Phelsuma v-nigra v-nigra'' ''

Nota bene ( ; plural: ) is the Latin language, Latin phrase meaning ''note well''. In manuscripts, ''nota bene'' is abbreviated in upper-case as NB and N.B., and in lower-case as n.b. and nb; the editorial usages of ''nota bene'' and ''notate bene'' fi ...

'': A

binomial authority In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, altho ...

or trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species or subspecies was originally described in a genus other than ''Phelsuma''.

References

External links

*
Gekkota.comPhelsuma.nl''Phelsuma'' at the Reptile Database