Page "Rodrigues day gecko" Paragraph 2

This day gecko is now extinct.

It was described also as P. newtonii, yet this name was also used as a synonym for Phelsuma gigas.

P. edwardnewtoni belonged to the largest day geckos.

It reached a total length of about 23 cm.

Earlier investigators describe the animal as being quite common.

However, this species has not been sighted since 1917, in spite of thorough searches in the 1960s and 1970s on Rodrigues and all offshore islets.

Today, only 5 preserved specimens remain, three of which are in The Natural History Museum in London, the two others being in the Paris Natural History Museum.

These specimens have been preserved in alcohol and show a thick-bodied, robust Phelsuma.

The body colour has been described as bright green with bright blue spots on the back.

The underside of the tail was whitish yellow.

The chin had a deep yellow colour.