Phylogenetic systematics of day geckos, genus Phelsuma, based on molecular and morphological data (Squamata: Gekkonidae)

We review the intrageneric systematics of day geckos, genus Phelsuma (Squamata: Sauria: Gekkonidae) in the light of a recently published multigene phylogeny, and provide an overview of 19 selected chromatic, morphological and behavioural characters for all currently recognized species and subspecies in the genus. To replace previous attempts of dividing the genus into phenetic species assemblages, we propose the following monophyletic species groups and summarize the morphological characters that partly support this grouping: Phelsuma barbouri group (P. barbouri, P. pronki); P. dubia group (P. berghofi, P. dubia, P. flavigularis, P. hielscheri, P. malamakibo, P. modesta, P. nigristriata, P. ravenala); P. mutabilis group (P. borai, P. breviceps, P. mutabilis); P. cepediana group (P. borbonica, P. cepediana, P. guentheri, P. guimbeaui, P. inexpectata, P. ornata, P. rosagularis as well as the extinct species P. edwardnewtonii and P. gigas); P. astriata group (P. astriata, P. sundbergi); P. madagascariensis group (P. abbotti, P. grandis, P. guttata, P. kochi, P. madagascariensis, P. parkeri, P. seippi and probably P. masohoala); P. lineata group (P. antanosy, P. comorensis, P. kely, P. lineata, P. pusilla, P. quadriocellata and probably P. hoeschi); P. laticauda group (P. laticauda, P. pasteuri, P. robertmertensi, P. v-nigra); P. klemmeri group (P. klemmeri); P. andamanense group (P. andamanense) and P. standingi group (P. standingi). Due to their equivocal placements based on different molecular markers, we refrain from assigning P. serraticauda and P. vanheygeni to any of these species groups at this time. We complement the molecular data with new trees based on partial sequences of the 16S rRNA gene for the P. madagascariensis- and P. lineata groups and propose to elevate P. lineata dorsivittata and P. quadriocellata parva to full species rank as P. dorsivittata and P. parva.