Robert Mertens's day gecko (Phelsuma robertmertensi) is diurnal species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to the Comoros.
The specific name, robertmertensi, is in honour of German herpetologist Robert Mertens.
Diurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
An insectivore is a carnivorous plant or animal that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of e...
Te
TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Precocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
R
starts withOne of the smallest of its genus, P. robertmertensi can reach a total length (including tail) of about 11 centimetres (4.3 in). The body colour can be dark green or bluish green. An orange mid dorsal stripe extends from the head to the tail. The sides of the neck as well as the flanks are greyish brown.
P. robertmertensi inhabits only a small area on the island of Mayotte in the Comoro Islands.
P. robertmertensi is often found on banana trees and in abandoned vanilla orchid plantations.
P. robertmertensi feeds on various insects and other invertebrates. It also licks soft, sweet fruit, pollen and nectar.
P. robertmertensi is oviparous. At a temperature of 28 °C (82 °F), the young will hatch after approximately 49–53 days. The juveniles measure 19–22 millimetres (0.75–0.87 in).