Gold Dust Day Gecko
Phelsuma laticauda
The gold dust day gecko (Phelsuma laticauda) is a diurnal species of gecko. It lives in northern Madagascar, the Comoro Islands, and the Mascarene Islands; it has also been introduced to Hawaii and other Pacific islands. It is primarily an arboreal species which can be found in tropical forests and may also associate with human dwellings. The gold dust day gecko feeds on insects and nectar.
One subspecies is recognized (in addition to the nominate one): Phelsuma laticauda angularis.
From the article Gold dust day gecko on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Description
This lizard can reach a total length of 3.9–5.1″ (10–13cm). The body colour is a bright green or yellowish green or rarely blue. Typical for this day gecko are the gold speckles on the neck and the upper back. There are three rust-coloured transverse bars on the snout and head; the upper part of the skin around the eye is blue. On the lower back there are three tapering red bars. The tail is slightly flattened. The under side is off-white. Juveniles lack the red colourations and the tail and limbs appear off-white.
What it does
These day geckos feed on various insects and other invertebrates, and are capable of eating other smaller lizards. They also eat soft, sweet fruit and pollen and nectar from flowers, often congregating in groups of many individuals to feed off of one plant.
Wikipedia: “Diet”
In human culture
Since 1999, an anthropomorphic and English-speaking Gold dust day gecko, voiced by British actor Jake Dylan Wood has appeared as the mascot for the American vehicle insurance Company GEICO.The inclusion of the gecko in their advertisements has since become a key part of the marketing of the company.
Wikipedia: “In popular culture”
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Phelsuma laticauda in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 34050.