''Phelsuma abbotti'', commonly known as Abbott's day gecko, Aldabra day gecko, or Assumption day gecko, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), 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 ...

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 al ...

in the

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

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 ...

Geographic range

''P. abbotti'' is found in

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 ...

and

Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, ...

Subspecies

Three subspecies are distinguished: *''

Phelsuma abbotti abbotti The Aldabra Island day gecko, or Aldabra day gecko (''Phelsuma abbotti abbotti''), has been found on the Aldabra Atoll (Seychelles). It lives on low trees and bushes and eats insects and fruit. References

Phelsuma Fauna of Seychelles Su ...

'' – Aldabra Island day gecko (

Aldabra Atoll Aldabra is the world's second-largest coral atoll, lying south-east of the continent of Africa. It is part of the Aldabra Group of islands in the Indian Ocean that are part of the Outer Islands of the Seychelles, with a distance of 1,120 ...

, the Seychelles) *''

Phelsuma abbotti chekei Cheke's day gecko (''Phelsuma abbotti chekei)'' is a subspecies of day gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. Etymology The subspecific name, ''chekei'', is in honor of British ornithologist Anthony S. Cheke. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Micha ...

'' – Cheke's day gecko (

) *'' Phelsuma abbotti sumptio'' – Assumption Island day gecko (

Assumption Island Assumption Island is a small island in the Outer Islands of Seychelles north of Madagascar, south-west of the capital, Victoria, on Mahé Island. In 2018, Seychelles and India signed an agreement to build and operate a joint military facilit ...

, the Seychelles)

Habitat

The natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s of ''P. abbotti'' are subtropical or tropical dry

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

s, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical mangrove forests, subtropical or tropical dry

shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity. It ...

, rural gardens,

urban area An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, ...

s, and introduced vegetation.

Reproduction

''P. abbotti'' is

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), a ...

Etymology

''P. abbotti'' is named after American naturalist

William Louis Abbott William Louis Abbott (23 February 1860 – 2 April 1936) was an American medical doctor, explorer, ornithologist and field naturalist. He compiled prodigious collections of biological specimens and ethnological artefacts from around the world, ...

. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Phelsuma abbotti'', p. 1).

Geographic range

Subspecies

Habitat

Reproduction

Etymology

References

Further reading