Phelsuma quadriocellata lepida Krüger, 1993 is a diurnal

Diurnal animal

Diurnality is a plant or animal behavior characterized by activity during the day and sleeping at night.-In animals:Animals that are not diurnal might be nocturnal or crepuscular . Many animal species are diurnal, including many mammals, insects, reptiles and birds...

 subspecies

Subspecies

Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...

 of gecko

Gecko

Geckos are lizards belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from 1.6 cm to 60 cm....

. It lives in north-eastern Madagascar

Madagascar

The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...

 and typically inhabits trees and houses. This day gecko feeds on insects and nectar.

Description

This lizard belongs to the smallest day geckos. It can reach a total length of about 12.5 cm. Its body colour is bluish green. On the neck, little blue speckles are present. Behind the front limb, there is a large black oval spot, which has a light blue outline. On the back there are irregularly shaped red dots and bars present which form a mid-dorsal stripe between the black oval spots. The tail has a turquoise hue. This subspecies has yellow eye rings. The ventral side is white.

Distribution

This subspecies inhabits northeast Madagascar. It is only known from the region around Andapa

Andapa

Andapa is a town and commune in northern Madagascar. It belongs to the district of Andapa, which is a part of Sava Region. According to 2001 commune census the population of Andapa was 27,618....

which is a rainforest area.

Habitat

Phelsuma quadriocellata lepida lives in a moist and warm climate. It inhabits different trees. This Phelsuma species might also be found on human dwellings.

Diet

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

Reproduction

The pairing season is between October and the first weeks of May. During this period, the females lay one or two eggs in 3–5 week intervals. Up to 6 pairs of eggs are laid per year. At a constant temperature of 28°C, the offspring hatch after 40–45 days. They measure about 30 mm.

Care and maintenance in captivity

These animals should be housed in pairs and need a well planted terrarium. The temperature should be about 28°C (locally around 30°C) during the day and drop to around 20°C 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 and 16°C at night. In captivity, these animals can be fed with crickets, wax moth larvae, fruit flies, mealworms and houseflies.