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Day geckos
Yellow-throated day gecko, Phelsuma flavigularis
Yellow-throated day gecko, Phelsuma flavigularis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Gekkonidae
Subfamily: Gekkoninae
Genus: Phelsuma
Gray, 1825
Species

43 species; see text. Yellow-throated day gecko ( Phelsuma flavigularis) is a diurnal Species of Geckos from eastern Madagascar. Chordates ( Phylum Chordata) are a group of Animals that includes the Vertebrates together with several closely related Invertebrates Reptiles, or members of the class Reptilia are air-breathing Cold-blooded Vertebrates that have skin covered in scales as opposed to hair or feathers Squamata (scaled reptiles is the largest recent order of Reptiles including Lizards and Snakes Members of the order are distinguished by Geckos are small to average sized Lizards belonging to the family Gekkonidae which are found in warm climates throughout the world Gekkoninae is a subfamily of Gekkonidae, geckos that contains the following 74 genera: John Edward Gray ( 12 February 1800 &ndash 7 March 1875) was a British zoologist.

Day Geckos are small lizards of the genus Phelsuma in the gecko family. Lizards are a large and widespread group of Reptiles of the order Squamata, with nearly 5000 species and ranging across all continents except Geckos are small to average sized Lizards belonging to the family Gekkonidae which are found in warm climates throughout the world

Contents

Description

In contrast to most other gecko species, day geckos are active mainly during the day. Geckos are small to average sized Lizards belonging to the family Gekkonidae which are found in warm climates throughout the world Other diurnal geckos are members of the genus Lygodactylus and the genus Gonatodes. Lygodactylus is a genus of Geckos with approximately 60 Species. Gonatodes is a Genus of diurnally active Dwarf Geckos of the Gekkonidae family. Day geckos have rounded pupils and a clear, fixed plate covering their eyes which they clean with their tongue. Day geckos do not have eyelids. Many species have bright green, red and blue colors which make them popular terrarium or vivarium pets. A vivarium (Latin literally for "place of life" plural vivaria or vivariums) is an area usually enclosed for keeping and raising animals or A vivarium (Latin literally for "place of life" plural vivaria or vivariums) is an area usually enclosed for keeping and raising animals or These brilliant colours play a role in intraspecies recognition and also serve as camouflage.

The length of the different Phelsuma species varies between about 6. 5 to 30 cm (2. 5-12 in. ). Day geckos have toe pads consisting of tiny lamellae which allow them to walk on plain surfaces like bamboo or glass. The inner toe and thumb are vestigial. Males have well developed femoral pores on the undersurface of the rear limbs. These pores are less developed or absent in females. Females often have well developed endolymphatic chalk sacs on the sides of their neck. In these sacks, calcium is stored which is needed for egg production. Those eggs can often been seen shining through the ventral surface of the body shortly before they are laid. The hatchlings reach sexual maturity between 6-12 months. Smaller species may live up to ten 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 Oceanic divisions covering about 20% of the water on the Earth 's surface The one exception is Phelsuma andamanense, which is endemic to the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal. Andaman Islands day gecko ( Phelsuma andamanense Blyth, 1861 is a Species of Geckos It is a small slender lizard The Andaman Islands are a group of islands in the Bay of Bengal, and are part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Union Territory of India. The Bay of Bengal is a bay that forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. The main distribution of day geckos is Madagascar which may also be the origin of the genus. Madagascar, or Republic of Madagascar (older name Malagasy Republic) is an Island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern Some species are found on neighbouring island groups (Mascarenes, Seychelles, Comoros) and the coast of East Africa. The Mascarene Islands (or Mascarenhas Archipelago) is a group of Islands in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar comprising Mauritius Seychelles (seɪˈʃɛl or /seɪˈʃɛlz/ in English and seʃɛl in French) officially the Republic of Seychelles (République des Seychelles Creole The Comoros (ˈkɒməroʊz; جزر القمر Juzur al-Qumur) officially the Union of the Comoros (Union des Comores الإتّحاد القمريّ They are also often found on the Hawaiian Islands as they eat the pests. The Hawaiian Islands, once known as the Sandwich Islands, form an Archipelago of 19 Islands and Atolls numerous smaller 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) palms and banana trees, but can also be found near human settlements, in gardens, on fences, houses and huts. Other species can also be found on rocks. does anyone have any interesting facts about them?

Diet

Day geckos feed on various kinds of insects and other invertebrates in the wild. Insects ( Class Insecta) are a major group of Arthropods and the most diverse group of Animals on the Earth with over a million described An invertebrate is an Animal lacking a Vertebral column. The group includes 98% of all animal Species — all animals except those in the Chordate 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, wax moths, crickets, small super worms, small butter worms and mealworms. True flies are Insects of the Order Diptera ( Greek: di = two and pteron = wing possessing a single pair of Waxworms are the Larvae of the Pyralidae (wax moths. There are two related species the lesser wax moth ( Achroia grisella) and the greater Crickets, family Gryllidae (also known as "true crickets" are Insects somewhat related to Grasshoppers and more closely related to katydids Zophobas morio is a species of Darkling beetle, whose Larvae are known by the common name superworm or zophobas. Butterworms, like Mealworms are used as Food for Insectivore pets such as Geckos and other Reptiles as their scent and bright color Mealworms are the Larval form of the mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor, a species of darkling Beetle. Fruit, which is required a few times a week, may be small pieces of papaya, banana, fruit based baby food, or commercial gecko nectars. The papaya (from Carib via Spanish) is the Fruit of the Plant Carica papaya, in the genus Carica. For the fruit see Banana. For other meanings see Banana (disambiguation.

In 2008 a BBC film crew took footage of a Day gecko successfully begging a plant hopper insect for honeydew. Insects ( Class Insecta) are a major group of Arthropods and the most diverse group of Animals on the Earth with over a million described [1]

Classification

The genus Phelsuma was first described by the British zoologist John Edward Gray in 1825 and named after the Dutch physician Murk van Phelsum. John Edward Gray ( 12 February 1800 &ndash 7 March 1875) was a British zoologist. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Murk van Phelsum was a Dutch Physician who was born 1730 and died 1779 in Sneek. The genus consists of about 70 known species and subspecies. In Biology, a species is one of the basic units of Biological classification and a Taxonomic rank. In Zoology, as in other branches of Biology, subspecies is the Taxonomic rank immediately subordinate to a Species.

Two Phelsuma species (Phelsuma gigas and Phelsuma edwardnewtoni) are now considered to be extinct, probably due to the destruction of their environment by human settlers and their domestic animals. Rodrigues giant day gecko ( Phelsuma gigas (Liénard 1842 is an extinct diurnal Species of Geckos It lived on the island Rodrigues day gecko ( Phelsuma edwardnewtoni) is a now Extinct diurnal Species of Geckos It lived on the island of Many day gecko species are endangered today because more and more of their natural habitat, especially (rain) forest, is being destroyed and other islands.

A Phelsuma lineata lineata in Madagascar's Mantadia National Park at Andasibe
A Phelsuma lineata lineata in Madagascar's Mantadia National Park at Andasibe

Explanation of the species epithets

External links

References

  1. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7247472.stm BBC website story. 18/02/08
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