About
Phelsuma antanosy is a bright green species of the day geckos, Phelsuma.
There are only three subpopulations of Phelsuma antanosy which exist. Two smaller subpopulations occur in the Saint Luce forest fragments and the remaining 60% of the entire population are found in Ambatotsirongorongo. The isolation of these sites means the lizards have low dispersal capabilities and the area of suitable habitat to support each subpopulation is only around 9 km2.
This species is highly reliant on one species of Pandanus plant for its reproductive behaviour as females use it for egg laying. Therefore this species is particularly threatened by forest habitat destruction and land clearance.
This species is part of the Gekkonidae family, which diverged from all other families in the Squamata order approximately 65 million years ago.
Both the Ambatotsirongorongo forest and the two fragments at Saint Luce are being developed and managed as new protected areas, with an estimated 80% of this species’ population falling within these protected areas. The population of Phelsuma antanosy is currently being monitored and small-scale captive breeding programs could be appropriate for this species.
- Order: Squamata
- Family: Gekkonidae
- Population: 5,000-10,000
- Trend: decreasing
- Size: 10cm
EDGE Score
Distribution
This species is found at Saint Luce and Ambatotsirongorongo, Madagascar
Habitat and Ecology
This day gecko lives in littoral and transitional forest. It can be found in degraded forest with a sufficiently dense canopy. It is believed to use a single species of Pandanus plant for egg laying.