Standing's day gecko (''Phelsuma standingi'') is an

arboreal Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally (scansorial), but others are exclusively arboreal. The hab ...

and 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), ...

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 species 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 southwest

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 threatened by illegal collection for the international pet trade and habitat loss. It is among the largest living 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 ...

s. Standing's day gecko feeds on insects and nectar.

Etymology

The

generic Generic or generics may refer to: In business * Generic term, a common name used for a range or class of similar things not protected by trademark * Generic brand, a brand for a product that does not have an associated brand or trademark, other ...

name, ''Phelsuma'', is a

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

ized version of the last name of

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

Murk van Phelsum Murk van Phelsum (6 August 1732, probably Leeuwarden - 21 August 1779, Sneek) was a Dutch physician, who was the namesake for the lizard genus ''Phelsuma''.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles' ...

. The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

, ''standingi'', is in honor of another physician, Doctor Herbert F. Standing of

Antananarivo Antananarivo (Malagasy language, Malagasy: ; French language, French: ''Tananarive'', ), also known by its colonial shorthand form Tana (), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Madagascar. The administrative area of the city, known ...

, Madagascar.

Description

''P. standingi'' is among the largest

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 of

s. It can reach a maximum total length (including tail) of 8-10″ (20-25.4cm), although larger is possible. The body colour can be quite variable, depending on light intensity. It can be brownish grey or bright green or turquoise with grey to blue reticulated markings on its body and head. The head and tail are often turquoise. Hatchlings have a yellowish green head and typical light bands and bars on their backs. It is a

sexually dimorphic Sexual dimorphism is the condition where sexes of the same species exhibit different Morphology (biology), morphological characteristics, including characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most dioecy, di ...

species. In the males the cloacal area has very pronounced preanal pores and a bulge in the area of

hemipenis A hemipenis (: hemipenes) is one of a pair of intromittent organs of male squamates (snakes and lizards). Hemipenes are usually held inverted within the body, and are everted for reproduction via erectile tissue, much like that in the human pe ...

. In many females two endolymphatic chalk sacs, located on each side of the neck, are well-developed, while in males usually they are just barely visible. These sacs store calcium, which is needed for the formation of egg shells.

Distribution and habitat

''P. standingi'' is restricted to the arid southwest of

, specifically the region around Andranolaho, Sakaraha and in the Zombitse-Vohibasia National Park. This area has a unique thorn forest vegetation. The daytime temperature never drops under and between January and December, the temperature can be as high as in the shade. In July and August, the night temperature can drop to .

Diet

Standing's day gecko feeds on various insects, invertebrates, and even smaller lizards. It is

omnivorous An omnivore () is an animal that regularly consumes significant quantities of both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize ...

, however, supplementing its prey with soft, sweet fruit, pollen and nectar.

Behaviour

Strictly an arboreal and diurnal species, ''P. standingi'' lives in pairs on trees, spending a lot of time basking in the sun on the highest and well exposed branches. The males are very territorial and will fight when in the presence of other males; females have this character towards other females, a behavior which is rather rare in geckos.

Reproduction

''P. standingi'' 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 ...

. At a temperature of , the young will hatch after approximately 60–70 days. The juveniles measure 80 mm and reach sexual maturity after one year. In captivity, Standing's day geckos can be expected to live up to 15-20 years when appropriately cared-for.

References

External links

The Reptile DatabaseItalian Gekko
{{DEFAULTSORT:Standing'S Day Gecko Phelsuma Reptiles of Madagascar Endemic fauna of Madagascar Species that are or were threatened by the pet trade Reptiles described in 1913 Taxa named by Paul Ayshford Methuen Taxa named by John Hewitt (herpetologist) Reptiles as pets