The Rodrigues day gecko (''Phelsuma edwardnewtoni''), also known commonly as the Rodrigues blue-dotted day gecko, is an extinct

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 ...

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 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 ...

. The species was

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

to the island of

Rodrigues Rodrigues (french: Île Rodrigues, link=yes ; Creole: ) is a autonomous outer island of the Republic of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, about east of Mauritius. It is part of the Mascarene Islands, which include Mauritius and Réunion. Rod ...

, where it typically inhabited

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 and dwelt in

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s. The Rodrigues day gecko fed on

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs ...

s and nectar.

Etymology

The specific name, ''edwardnewtoni'', is in honor of

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English ...

colonial administrator and

ornithologist Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...

Edward Newton Sir Edward Newton (10 November 1832 – 25 April 1897) was a British colonial administrator and ornithologist. He was born at Elveden Hall, Suffolk the sixth and youngest son of William Newton, MP. He was the brother of ornithologist Alfre ...

. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Phelsuma edwardnewtoni'', p. 80).

Taxonomy

The Rodrigues day gecko is now extinct. It was originally described as ''Phelsuma newtoni'' by Boulenger in 1884, also spelt ''Phelsuma newtonii'' by Boulenger in 1885. However, because this scientific name was also used as a synonym for ''

Phelsuma gigas The Rodrigues giant day gecko (''Phelsuma gigas'') is an extinct species of day gecko. It lived on the island of Rodrigues and surrounding islands and typically dwelt on trees. The Rodrigues giant day gecko fed on insects and nectar, and, unlike ...

'', Vinson & Vinson changed the specific name to ''edwardnewtoni'' in 1969.

Description

''P. edwardnewtoni'' was one of the largest day geckos. It reached a total length (including tail) of about . Earlier investigators describe the animal as being quite common. However, this species has not been sighted since 1917, in spite of thorough searches in the 1960s and 1970s on Rodrigues and all offshore islets. Today, only six preserved specimens remain, which are in The

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London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and the Paris Natural History Museum. These specimens have been preserved in alcohol and show a thick-bodied, robust ''Phelsuma''. The body colour in life has been described as bright green with bright blue spots on the back. The underside of the tail was whitish-yellow. The chin had a deep yellow colour.

Behaviour and ecology

The species ''P. edwardnewtoni'' inhabited Rodrigues Island and its surrounding islets. ''P. edwardnewtoni'' was observed on coconut trees and other palms. Its habitat has been largely destroyed by humans and introduced animals such as cats and rats, which may have been the main cause of its extinction. This day gecko fed mainly on palm fruit, and various insects and other

invertebrate Invertebrates are a paraphyletic group of animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''backbone'' or ''spine''), derived from the notochord. This is a grouping including all animals apart from the chordate ...

s associated with palm trees. It also liked to lick soft, sweet fruit, pollen and nectar. ''P. edwardnewtoni'' was documented as being unafraid of

human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...

s. It was quite tame and would even eat

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in partic ...

from one's hand. Leguat described the behaviour as follows: It can also be noted that the behavior of this species was most likely very similar to other island dwelling day geckos such as the Madagascar giant day gecko ('' Phelsuma grandis'') and Standing's day gecko (''P. standingi)'' which share a very similar niche as this species.

Etymology

Taxonomy

Description

Behaviour and ecology

References

Further reading