''Phelsuma comorensis'' Boettger, 1913 is a species 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 ...

s that lives on the island

Grande Comore Grande Comore () is an island in Comoros off the coast of Africa. It is the largest island in the Comoros nation. Most of its population is of the Comorian ethnic group. Its population is about 316,600. The island's capital is Moroni, Comoros, ...

and typically dwells on trees. It feeds on insects and

nectar Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualists ...

Description

This lizard belongs to the smallest day geckos. It can reach a maximum length of about . The body colour is olive green or pale green. A rost-coloured stripe extends from the nostril to the eye. A black lateral stripe extends from the eye to the hind leg. On the lower back there are brownish or red-brick coloured dots. The legs have dark spots.

Distribution

This species is only known from the island Grande Comore. It is found in higher areas (600 meters and upwards). It is not currently endangered.

Habitat

''P. comorensis'' is often found on a variety of

pantropic A polytropic process is a thermodynamic process that obeys the relation: p V^ = C where ''p'' is the pressure, ''V'' is volume, ''n'' is the polytropic index, and ''C'' is a constant. The polytropic process equation describes expansion and comp ...

vegetation.

Diet

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

Reproduction

The females are very productive and lay up to 8 pairs of eggs per year. Juveniles reach sexual maturity after only 4–5 months.

Care and maintenance in captivity

These animals should be housed in pairs and need an enclosure with live plants and vertical bamboo shoots. The temperature should be between and during the day with a 6-7 °C drop during the night. A good air flow is important. In captivity, these animals can be fed with

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

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 (''Galleria m ...

, fruit flies, mealworms 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 f ...

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. {{DEFAULTSORT:Phelsuma Comorensis Phelsuma Taxa named by Oskar Boettger Reptiles described in 1913