 the mauritius lowland forest day gecko (phelsuma guimbeaui guimbeaui mertens, 1963) is a diurnal subspecies of gecko. it lives on the western coast of mauritius and typically inhabits large trees. the mauritius lowland forest day gecko feeds on insects and nectar. == description == this lizard belongs to the mid-sized phelsuma genus. males can reach a total length of about 15.5 cm. females are only 9â13 cm. the mauritius lowland forest day gecko has a short, compact body form. the body colour is a brilliant green with a diffuse blue area on the neck region. there are irregular shaped orange-red bars and spots on the back and tail, the tip of which may be blue. the ventral side is whitish-yellow. one or two brown v-shaped bars are present on the chin. juveniles are greyish-brown with little white spots. they start changing their colour after 6 months and after 12â15 they have the adult appearance. == distribution == this species inhabits the western side of mauritius. it occurs at low and mid elevation. populations can be found at the villages of chamarel, yemen, tamarin and grande riviÃ¨re noire. phelsuma guimbeaui guimbeaui is also established on the hawaiian island of oahu. == habitat == the mauritius lowland forest day gecko prefers large trees such as palms and acacia species. it gecko is only rarely seen near human dwellings. p. guimbeaui. guimbeaui lives in the drier and warmer part of mauritius. much of the lowland forest of mauritius, which is the original habitat of p. guimbeaui. guimbeaui, has been cleared to make way for sugar cane plantations. this day gecko sometimes shares its habitat with phelsuma cepediana and phelsuma ornata ornata. == diet == the mauritius lowland forest day gecko feeds on various insects and other invertebrates. it also likes to lick soft, sweet fruit, pollen and nectar. == behaviour == the mauritius lowland forest day gecko is rather shy because it is heavily predated by different bird species. == reproduction == the pairing season is between march and the first weeks of september. during this period, the females lay up to 6 pairs of eggs. the young will hatch after approximately 60â90 days. the juveniles measure 36â40 mm. the mauritius lowland forest day gecko is an egg gluer and often a colony nester. it often lays its eggs in tree holes. juveniles reach pubescenc
Animals_described_in_1963 Phelsuma Reptiles_and_amphibians_of_Mauritius