Agalega day gecko (''Phelsuma borbonica agalegae'' Cheke, 1975) is a subspecies of

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 ...

General introduction

This diurnal gecko only lives on the

Agaléga Agaléga (french: îles Agaléga) is a dependency of Mauritius which consists of two outer islands located in the Indian Ocean, about north of Mauritius Island. The population of the islands as at July 2011 was estimated at 289. The islands h ...

Islands. It typically inhabits

coconut tree The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree 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, the seed, or the ...

s or cheval trees. The Agalega day gecko feeds on

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 pairs ...

s and nectar.

Description

This lizard belongs to the medium-sized day geckos. Males are slightly larger than females and can reach a total length of about 16 cm whereas females measure only 13.5 cm. The basic body colour is grayish green. Both the head and the neck are yellow-brown. The tail and back can be bright turquoise. The flanks are grey or beige. The dorso-lateral bands are turquoise. On the back and tail there are brownish or red-brick coloured dots or bars.

Distribution

This species is endemic to the two Agalega islets.

Habitat

The two islands where ''P. borbonica agalega'' occurs, are small low coral sand islands. On these islands are mainly coconut tree plantations. The Agalega day gecko is often found on these trees as well as on ''Terminalia spec.'' and mango trees.

Diet

These day geckos feed on various insects and other invertebrates. They also like to lick soft, sweet fruit, pollen and nectar.

Behaviour

This ''Phelsuma'' species is rather shy.

Reproduction

The pairing season is between April and the first weeks of September. During this period, the females lay up to 4 pairs of eggs, often under loose bark of coconut trees. Females often share the same location for their eggs. The young will hatch after approximately 70–100 days, depending on the temperature. The juveniles measure 45–50 mm.

Care and maintenance in captivity

These animals should be housed in pairs and need a large, well planted terrarium. The temperature should be between 24 and 30 °C. During the night the temperature can drop to 18–22 °C. The relative humidity should be maintained between 40 and 60% during the day and 75% at night. These animals can be fed with

crickets Crickets are orthopteran insects which are related to bush crickets, and, more distantly, to grasshoppers. In older literature, such as Imms,Imms AD, rev. Richards OW & Davies RG (1970) ''A General Textbook of Entomology'' 9th Ed. Methuen 88 ...

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 (''Galle ...

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 fruit ...

mealworm Mealworms are the larval form of the yellow mealworm beetle, ''Tenebrio molitor'', a species of darkling beetle. Like all holometabolic insects, they go through four life stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Larvae typically measure about or ...

s 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 ...

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=Q4691134 Fauna of the Mascarene Islands Phelsuma Reptiles of Mauritius Reptiles described in 1975 Subspecies