''Phelsuma madagascariensis'' is a species of

day gecko ''Phelsuma'' is a large genus of geckos in the family Gekkonidae. Species in the genus ''Phelsuma'' are commonly referred to as day geckos. Some day geckos are seriously endangered and some are common, but all ''Phelsuma'' species are CITES Appe ...

that lives in

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 ...

. It is among the most widespread day geckos and is found in a wide range of habitats.Glaw, F. and Vences, M. (2007). ''A Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar.'' 3rd edition. With a length of up to , it is also the largest day gecko in Madagascar. (The highly restricted

Round Island day gecko The Round Island day gecko (''Phelsuma guentheri)'', also known commonly as Günther's gecko, is an endangered species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to the islet Round Island, Mauritius, and typically dwells on palm ...

is the only other

extant Extant or Least-concern species, least concern is the opposite of the word extinct. It may refer to: * Extant hereditary titles * Extant literature, surviving literature, such as ''Beowulf'', the oldest extant manuscript written in English * Exta ...

species with a similar maximum length; the extinct

Rodrigues giant day gecko 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 ...

was even larger.)

Subspecies

There are several subspecies: * ''Phelsuma madagascariensis madagascariensis'' ( Madagascar day gecko) * ''Phelsuma madagascariensis kochi'' ( Koch's giant day gecko) * ''Phelsuma madagascariensis boehmei'' (

Boehme's giant day gecko Boehme's giant day gecko (''Phelsuma madagascariensis boehmei'') is a diurnal species of gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to eastern Madagascar and typically inhabits rainforests and dwells on trees. Boehme's giant ...

) ''Phelsuma grandis'', the

Madagascar giant day gecko 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 fourth largest island, th ...

, was previously considered a subspecies of ''Phelsuma madagascariensis'' but has now been elevated to a full species.Raxworthy, C.J.; C.M. Ingram; N. Rabibisoa and R.G. Pearson (2007) ''Applications of Ecological Niche Modeling for Species Delimitation: A Review and Empirical Evaluation Using Day Geckos (Phelsuma) from Madagascar''. Systematic Biology 56(6):907-923

References

Phelsuma Reptiles of Madagascar Reptiles described in 1831 Taxa named by John Edward Gray {{Gekkonidae-stub