Mauritius Lowland Forest Day Gecko
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The Mauritius lowland forest day gecko (''Phelsuma guimbeaui)'', also known commonly as Guimbeau's day gecko and the orange-spotted day gecko, is a diurnal
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), ...
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. They range from . Geckos are unique among lizards ...
, a
lizard Lizard is the common name used for all Squamata, squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most Island#Oceanic isla ...
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 ...
. The species is native to the western coast of
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 typically inhabits large trees. The Mauritius lowland forest day gecko feeds on insects and nectar.


Etymology

The
specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...
, ''guimbeaui'', is in honor of the collector of the
holotype A holotype (Latin: ''holotypus'') is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of s ...
, "Mr. B rnardGuimbeau".


Description

''Phelsuma. guimbeaui'' belongs to the mid-sized genus ''Phelsuma''. Males can reach a total length (including tail) of about . Females are only . The Mauritius lowland forest day gecko has a short, compact body form. The
dorsal Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to: * Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism * Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage The fus ...
body colour is a brilliant green with a diffuse blue area on the neck region. There are irregular shaped orange-red bars and spots on the back and tail, the tip of which may be blue. The ventral side is whitish-yellow. One or two brown v-shaped bars are present on the chin. Juveniles are greyish-brown with little white spots, and start changing colour after six months. After 12–15 months, they have the adult appearance.


Geographic range

''Phelsuma guimbeaui'' inhabits the western side of
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 ...
. It occurs at low and mid elevation. Populations can be found at the villages of Chamarel, Yemen, Tamarin and Grande Rivière Noire. ''P. guimbeaui'' is also established on the Hawaiian island of
Oahu Oahu (, , sometimes written Oahu) is the third-largest and most populated island of the Hawaiian Islands and of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. The island of Oahu and the uninhabited Northwe ...
.


Habitat

The Mauritius lowland forest day gecko prefers large trees such as palms and
acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as wattles or acacias, is a genus of about of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa, South America, and Austral ...
species. ''P. guimbeaui'' is only rarely seen near human dwellings. It lives in the drier and warmer part of Mauritius. Much of the lowland forest of Mauritius, which is the original habitat of ''P. guimbeaui'', has been cleared to make way for sugar cane plantations. ''P. guimbeaui'' sometimes shares its habitat with '' P. cepediana'' and '' P. ornata''.


Diet

The Mauritius lowland forest day gecko feeds on various insects and other invertebrates. It also likes to lick soft, sweet fruit, pollen and nectar.


Behaviour

The Mauritius lowland forest day gecko is rather shy as it is heavily predated by different bird species.


Reproduction

In ''P. guimbeaui'' the pairing season is between March and the first weeks of September. During this period, the females lay up to 6 pairs of eggs. The young will hatch after approximately 60–90 days. The juveniles measure . The Mauritius lowland forest day gecko is an egg gluer and often a colony nester. It often lays its eggs in tree holes. Juveniles reach pubescence after 18–20 months.


Threats

''Phelsuma guimbeaui'' has been evaluated by 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 ...
as "
endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...
". Its habitat is small and fragmented. Moreover, 12 of 19 endemic reptile species from mainland Mauritius are extinct. It is traded commercially as a terrarium pet and this may be a threat; little is known about trade in ''
Phelsuma ''Phelsuma'' is a large genus of geckos in the Family (biology), 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'' spec ...
'' species. ''Phelsuma'' are all
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.


Care and maintenance in captivity

''Phelsuma guimbeaui'' should be housed in pairs in a large, well planted terrarium for the highest success. The daytime temperature should be between . During the night, the temperature should drop to approximately . The humidity should be maintained between 60 and 70%. In captivity, ''P. guimbeaui'' can be fed with crickets, commercial fructivorous gecko diets, wax moths, fruits flies, mealworms, and houseflies.


Sources

* Henkel, Friedrich-Wilhelm; Schmidt, Wolfgang (1995). ''Amphibien und Reptilien Madagaskars, der Maskarenen, Seychellen und Komoren''. Stuttgart: Ulmer. 311 pp. . (in German). * McKeown, Sean (1993). ''The General Care and Maintenance of Day Geckos''. Lakeside, California: Advanced Vivarium Systems.


References


Further reading

* Mertens R (1963). "The geckos of the genus ''Phelsuma'' on Mauritius and adjacent islands". ''Mauritius Institute Bulletin'' 5: 299–305. (''Phelsuma guimbeaui'', new species). {{Taxonbar, from=Q3378683 guimbeaui Reptiles of Mauritius Endemic fauna of Mauritius Taxa named by Robert Mertens Reptiles described in 1963 Species that are or were threatened by the pet trade Reptiles as pets