NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Madagascar Day Gecko
Phelsuma grandis Gray, 1870
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Phelsuma grandis is a diurnal arboreal species of day gecko. These geckos are part of the Phelsuma group, which consists of in excess of 70 species and subspecies. They are commonly referred to as the Madagascar giant day gecko, due to their large size. They are native to areas of tropical and subtropical forest in northern Madagascar, but have been introduced to several other subtropical locations outside their range. P. grandis feeds on various invertebrates, very small vertebrates, and nectars. It is bred and sold as an exotic pet.
Wikipedia contributors, Phelsuma grandis; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:56:55.232691+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Phelsuma grandis Gray, 1870
- Name authority
- Gray, 1870
- Common name
- Madagascar Day Gecko
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Gekkonidae
- Genus
- Phelsuma
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
- suborderGekkota
- familyGekkonidae
- genusPhelsuma
- speciesPhelsuma grandis Gray, 1870
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Phelsuma. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Phelsuma berghofi Krüger, 1996 | GekkonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Yellow-throated Day GeckoPhelsuma flavigularis Mertens, 1962 | GekkonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Rodrigues' Day GeckoPhelsuma gigas Liénard, 1842 | GekkonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Parker's Day GeckoPhelsuma parkeri Loveridge, 1941 | GekkonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Phelsuma parva Meier, 1983 | GekkonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Indian Day GeckoPhelsuma pasteuri Meier, 1984 | GekkonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Phelsuma pronki Seipp, 1994 | GekkonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Phelsuma pusilla Mertens, 1964 | GekkonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Striped Day GeckoPhelsuma lineata Gray, 1842 | GekkonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Madagascar Day GeckoPhelsuma madagascariensis Gray, 1831 | GekkonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Island Day GeckoPhelsuma nigristriata Meier, 1984 | GekkonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Madagascar Day GeckoPhelsuma kochi Mertens, 1954 | GekkonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Phelsuma madagascariensis notissima Mertens, 1970 Mertens, 1970 | synonym |
| Phelsuma madagascariensis venusta Mertens, 1964 Mertens, 1964 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Phelsuma&species=grandis Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4FZTZ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.