''Phelsuma dubia'', also known as dull day gecko, olive day gecko, Zanzibar day gecko or green 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), ...

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 ...

. It is about in length and lives on the western coast of

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

, in the

Comoros The Comoros, officially the Union of the Comoros, is an archipelagic country made up of three islands in Southeastern Africa, located at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city is Moroni, ...

, and the coast of

East Africa East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...

. It typically inhabits trees and can also be found near human dwellings. The Dull day gecko feeds on insects and nectar.

Scientific synonyms

*''Pachydactylus dubius'' Boettger, 1881 *''Phelsuma dubia'' - Kluge, 1993 *''Phelsuma dubia'' - Glaw & Vences, 1994: 298 *''Phelsuma dubia'' - Broadley & Howell, 1991: 10 *''Phelsuma dubia'' - Rösler, 2000: 101

Description

This lizard belongs to the medium-sized day geckos. It can reach a maximum length of approximately 15 cm. The body colour varies between grayish green, grayish brown and bluish green. The tail may be bright blue. A rust-coloured stripe extends from the nostril to the eye. There is a red v-shaped stripe on the snout. On the back there often are brownish or red-brick coloured dots. A gray lateral stripe extends from the eye to the hind leg. The ventral side is off-white coloured. Juveniles have a light brown dorsal surface with little light blue spots. The tail of neonates is yellow.

Distribution

This species inhabits the west coast of Madagascar in the general area of Majunga. It can also be found in the

, in

Zanzibar Zanzibar is a Tanzanian archipelago off the coast of East Africa. It is located in the Indian Ocean, and consists of many small Island, islands and two large ones: Unguja (the main island, referred to informally as Zanzibar) and Pemba Island. ...

, and some coastal areas of mainland

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

Habitat

''P. dubia'' can easily adapt to different biotopes. These day geckos are often found on different trees and other lowland vegetation. They also inhabit buildings as a human

commensal Commensalism is a long-term biological interaction (symbiosis) in which members of one species gain benefits while those of the other species neither benefit nor are harmed. This is in contrast with mutualism, in which both organisms benefit f ...

Diet

These day geckos feed on various

insect Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...

s and other

invertebrate Invertebrates are animals that neither develop nor retain a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''spine'' or ''backbone''), which evolved from the notochord. It is a paraphyletic grouping including all animals excluding the chordata, chordate s ...

s. They also like to lick soft, sweet fruit, pollen, nectar and balsamic vinegar.

Behaviour

''P. dubia'' often lives in small groups with one male and several females.

Reproduction

The females are egg gluers. They often lay their

eggs An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo begins to develop. Egg, EGG or eggs may also refer to: Biology * Egg cell, the female reproductive cell (gamete) in oogamous organisms Food * Eggs as food Places * Egg, Austria * Egg, Switzerland ...

in the same location as other females.

Care and maintenance in captivity

Phelsuma dubia is currently common and widespread. However, capture of these geckos is regulated, as it may have caused population declines and, as it is large-scale, might threaten the species in the future. These animals should be housed in pairs and need a medium-sized terrarium. The temperature should be between 25 and 28 °C. The humidity should be not too high. In captivity, these animals can be fed with

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

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 ...

, fruit flies, meal worms and houseflies.

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=Q3012408 dubia Reptiles described in 1881 Geckos of Africa Taxa named by Oskar Boettger