Rodrigues day gecko
| Rodrigues day gecko | ||||||||||||
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Rodrigues day gecko ( Phelsuma edwardnewtoni ), alcohol supplement, Natural History Museum, London |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Phelsuma edwardnewtoni | ||||||||||||
| Vinson & Vinson , 1969 |
The Rodrigues day gecko ( Phelsuma edwardnewtoni ) is an extinct species of day gecko. He lived on the island of Rodrigues and stayed in the woods.
Scientific synonyms
- Phelsuma edwardnewtoni VINSON & VINSON 1969
- Phelsuma newtoni BOULENGER 1884
description
This lizard was also described under the name Phelsuma newtoni , but this name was used as a synonym for Phelsuma gigas before . P. edwardnewtoni was one of the largest day geckos. It reached a total length of about 23 cm.
P. edwardnewtoni has been described as fairly common by observers. Despite extensive searches in the 1960s and 70s, this species was last sighted in 1917. There are only seven preserved specimens. Three male specimens are in the Natural History Museum in London , three other male specimens belong to the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle in Paris . One female specimen is privately owned. All of these preparations were preserved in alcohol. In old reports, the color of the top is called light green, interspersed with numerous blue spots. The underside was yellowish. The throat showed an intense yellow color. It is possible that the head and the back were partially marked in brown or red.
distribution
This species inhabited the island of Rodrigues and some offshore islets.
habitat
P. edwardnewtoni has been observed on various palm trees as well as on roofs and in houses. Most of the original biotope was destroyed. Cats and rats were also introduced. This possibly led to the extinction of the species.
behavior
According to François Leguat's description, P. edwardnewtoni was very tame and even ate fruit out of his hand.
literature
- Gerhard Hallmann, Jens Krüger, Gerd Trautmann: Fascinating day geckos. The genus Phelsuma. Natur-und-Tier-Verlag Schmidt, Münster 1997, ISBN 3-931587-10-X .
- Friedrich-Wilhelm Henkel, Wolfgang Schmidt (ed.): Amphibians and reptiles of Madagascar, the Mascarene, Seychelles and Comoros. Ulmer, Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3-8001-7323-9 .
- Sean McKeown: The general care and maintenance of day geckos. Advanced Vivarium Systems, Lakeside CA 1993.
