Cheke's day gecko (''Phelsuma abbotti chekei)'' is a
subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
of
day gecko, a
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 alt ...
in the
family Gekkonidae.
Etymology
The
subspecific name, ''chekei'', is in honor of British ornithologist
Anthony S. Cheke
Anthony or Antony is a masculine given name, derived from the ''Antonii'', a ''gens'' ( Roman family name) to which Mark Antony (''Marcus Antonius'') belonged. According to Plutarch, the Antonii gens were Heracleidae, being descendants of Anton, ...
.
[ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Phelsuma abbotti chekei'', p. 52).]
Distribution
''P. a. chekei'' is found on the island of
Madagascar.
[
]
Diet
''P. a. chekei'' primarily eats insects and fruits.
Reproduction
''P. a. chekei'' 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), and ...
.[
]
References
Further reading
* Börner A-R, Minuth W (1984). "On the taxonomy of the Indian Ocean Lizards of the ''Phelsuma madagascariensis'' species group (Reptilia: Gekkonidae)". ''Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society'' 81 (2): 243–281. (''Phelsuma chekei'', new species, p. 259).
* Glaw F, Vences M (1994). ''A Fieldguide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar, Second Edition''. Cologne, Germany: Vences & Glaw Verlag / Serpents Tale. 480 pp. .
* Meier H, Böhme W (1996). "''Zum taxonomischen Status des Formenkreises von ''Phelsuma abbotti'' STEJNEGER
Leonhard Hess Stejneger (30 October 1851 – 28 February 1943) was a Norwegian-born American ornithologist, herpetologist and zoologist. Stejneger specialized in vertebrate natural history studies. He gained his greatest reputation with reptiles ...
, 1893, mit Bemerkungen über ''P. masohoala'' RAXWORTHY & NUSSBAUM, 1994'' ". ''Salamandra'' 32 (2): 85–98. (in German, with an abstract in English).
Phelsuma
{{Gecko-stub