Koch's giant day gecko (Phelsuma madagascariensis kochi ) is a diurnal subspecies of gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The subspecies is native to northwestern and western Madagascar and typically inhabits trees. It feeds on insects and nectar.
The subspecific name, kochi, is in honor of German ornithologist and herpetologist K.L. Koch of the Naturmuseum Senckenberg in Frankfurt.
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...
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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...
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starts withP. m. kochi is among the largest living day geckos. It can reach a total length (including tail) of 30.5 centimetres (12.0 in). The body colour is a dark, dull green. A faint red stripe extends from the nostril to the eye. On the back there may be little reddish dots present. The neck and flanks often are light grey. The ventral side is off-white.
P. m. kochi is widely distributed in northwestern and western Madagascar on the coast and in the inland. It was first discovered in the region around Maevatanana.
P. m. kochi is often found on different trees such as banana trees where it can be seen basking. It avoids human dwellings. The climate is very dry throughout the year and the temperature can be as high as 40 °C (104 °F).
This subspecies, P. m. kochi, is not quite as quarrelsome and aggressive as P. m. madagascariensis and P. m. grandis.
Koch's giant day gecko feeds on various insects and other invertebrates. It also like to lick soft, sweet fruit, pollen and nectar.
The pairing season for P. m. kochi is between November and the first weeks of May. During this period, the sexually mature females lay up to 6 pairs of eggs. At a temperature of 28 °C (82 °F), the young will hatch after approximately 63–68 days. The juveniles measure 65 mm (2.6 in) and reach sexual maturity after one year.
