The yellow-throated day gecko (''Phelsuma flavigularis'') is an endangered

diurnal Diurnal ("daily") may refer to: General * Diurnal cycle, any pattern that recurs daily ** Diurnality, the behavior of animals and plants that are active in the daytime * Diurnal phase shift, a phase shift of electromagnetic signals * Diurnal tem ...

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 ...

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 ...

from eastern

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 ...

. It typically inhabits rainforests and dwells on trees. This endangered species feeds on insects and nectar.

Description

This lizard belongs to the medium-sized day geckos. Males can reach a total length of about while females are often much smaller. The body colour is dark green or bluish green. On the snout there are two red transversal bars. One to three rust-coloured stripes may be present on the neck. On the back there are small brownish or reddish dots and spottings. The throat is light yellow and the ventral side is beige. ''P. flavigularis'' has blue eye rings.

Distribution

This species has a limited distribution. It is only known from the area around Andasibe on the east coast of

, about east of

Antananarivo Antananarivo ( French: ''Tananarive'', ), also known by its colonial shorthand form Tana, is the capital and largest city of Madagascar. The administrative area of the city, known as Antananarivo-Renivohitra ("Antananarivo-Mother Hill" or "An ...

Habitat

''P. flavigularis'' is found on banana trees and palms. Its original habitat are rainforests. The east coast of Madagascar has a humid and warm climate.

Diet

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

Behaviour

Like most ''Phelsuma spec.'', this species can be quite quarrelsome and do not accept other males in their neighbourhood. In captivity, where the females cannot escape, the males can also sometimes seriously wound a female during courtship. In this case, the male and female must be separated immediately.

Care and maintenance in captivity

These animals should be housed in pairs and need a large, well planted terrarium. The temperature should be between 25 and 28 °C. The humidity should be maintained between 75 and 100%. In captivity, these animals can be fed with

crickets Crickets are orthopteran insects which are related to bush crickets, and, more distantly, to grasshoppers. In older literature, such as Imms,Imms AD, rev. Richards OW & Davies RG (1970) ''A General Textbook of Entomology'' 9th Ed. Methuen 88 ...

, wax moths, fruit flies,

mealworm Mealworms are the larval form of the yellow mealworm beetle, ''Tenebrio molitor'', a species of darkling beetle. Like all holometabolic insects, they go through four life stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Larvae typically measure about or ...

s, 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 ...

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=Q3012398 Phelsuma Geckos of Africa Endemic fauna of Madagascar Reptiles described in 1962