Phelsuma Pusilla Hallmanni
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''Phelsuma pusilla hallmanni'' is a diurnal
subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...
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. They range from . Geckos are unique among lizards ...
, a
lizard Lizard is the common name used for all Squamata, squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most Island#Oceanic isla ...
in the
family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Gekkonidae Gekkonidae (the common geckos) is the largest family of geckos, containing over 950 described species in 62 genera. The Gekkonidae contain many of the most widespread gecko species, including house geckos (''Hemidactylus''), the tokay gecko (''Ge ...
. The subspecies is
endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...
to eastern
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 ...
and typically inhabits different trees. This day gecko feeds on insects and nectar.


Etymology

The
subspecific name In biology, trinomial nomenclature is the system of names for taxa below the rank of species. These names have three parts. The usage is different in zoology and botany. In zoology In zoological nomenclature, a trinomen (), trinominal name, or ...
, ''hallmanni'', is in honor of
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
herpetologist Herpetology (from Ancient Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is a branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, salamanders, and caecilians (Gymnophiona)) and reptiles (in ...
Gerhard Hallmann. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Phelsuma pusilla hallmanni'', p. 114).


Description

''Ph. p. hallmanni'' belongs to the smallest day geckos. It can reach a total length (including tail) of about . The body colour is dark green. On the back there are red dots present. On the snout, a blue triangle is present, which is bordered from behind by a red bar. On the neck and back of the head bluish speckles are present. The tail is turquoise. The flanks are brown or black. The ventral side is white.


Geographic range

The subspecies ''Ph. p. hallmanni'' inhabits the east coast of Madagascar. It is only known from the region around Andasibe. www.reptile-database.org.


Habitat

''Ph. p. hallmanni'' lives in a moist and warm climate. It inhabits different trees and can often be found on trees on the edge of forest along the road.


Diet

''Ph. p. hallmanni'' feeds on various insects and other invertebrates. It also likes to lick soft, sweet fruit, pollen and nectar.


Behaviour

''Ph. p. hallmanni'' is quite quarrelsome and does not accept other males. In captivity, where the female cannot escape, the male can also sometimes seriously wound a female. In this case the male and female must be separated.


Reproduction

''Ph. p. hallmanni'' is
oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that reproduce by depositing fertilized zygotes outside the body (i.e., by laying or spawning) in metabolically independent incubation organs known as eggs, which nurture the embryo into moving offsprings kno ...
. The pairing season is between October and the first weeks of May.


Care and maintenance in captivity

''Ph. p. hallmanni'' should be housed in pairs and needs a well planted terrarium. The temperature should be about 28 °C (82 °F), locally around 30 °C (86 °F), during the day, and drop to around 20 °C (68 °F) at night. The humidity should be maintained between 75 and 80% during the day. It is also important to include two colder months with a daytime temperature of 24 °C (75 °F) and 16 °C (61 °F) at night. In captivity, it can be fed crickets, wax moth larvae, fruit flies, mealworms and houseflies.


References


Further reading

* Henkel F-W, Schmidt W (1995). ''Amphibien und Reptilien Madagaskars, der Maskarenen, Seychellen und Komoren''. Stuttgart: Ulmer. . * McKeown, Sean (1993). ''The general care and maintenance of day geckos''. Lakeside, California: Advanced Vivarium Systems. * Meier H (1989). "''Eine neue Form aus der'' lineata-''gruppe der Gattung'' Phelsuma ''auf Madagaskar'' ". ''Salamandra'' 25 (3/4): 230-236. (''Phelsuma pusilla hallmani'', new subspecies). (in
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
). {{Taxonbar, from=Q7181295 pusilla hallmanni