As we approached the lodge next to Anjozorobe-Angavo, we found our first herps in the area, which were a few of these day geckos adorning the banana plants.

Here is a list of all the reptiles and frogs I saw on this 2023 trip to Madagascar.

The next morning a few of them hung out on the railings of the deck around the dining room, cleaning up on various moths that had been attracted to the lights earlier. Perhaps they were also provided a small amount of jam for their sweet tooths.

This subspecies, found in Madagascar's central highlands, has a lightly spotted back and white coloration underneath the dark side stripe that gives the species its name.

This species was misidentified as Phelsuma newtonia (a species name that apparently doesn't exist) by our Malagasy guide, which is surprising since he knew the wildlife well and correctly identified numerous other species. Day Gecko expert Greg Christienson kindly identified it as Phelsuma lineata chloroscelis based on this picture. This name was later determined to be a junior synonym of Phelsuma lineata bifasciata. Later still, P. l. bifasciata was determined to be synonymous with P. l. lineata. Check out Greg's comprehensive Day Gecko website for more info and pictures of these beautiful lizards.

This subspecies, found in the east and south, has a prominent red mark on the back with a well-defined front edge, and yellow coloration under the side stripe.

Vakona Forest Lodge was the first place we stayed on our second trip to Madagascar, and these geckos were the first herps we saw on the trip. Many walls, fences, and porches had a resident gecko or two. The vast majority were these gregarious Phelsuma lineata lineata, but there were a few shy Phelsuma quadriocellata quadriocellata mixed in there too.

Here is a list of all the reptiles and frogs I saw on this 2007 trip to Madagascar.

Just outside of our room at Setam Lodge, I spotted this tiny tail-less gecko on a small decorative plant. A little wind caused the stalks to sway back and forth, and the gecko was shy, so this was the only photo I got. It turned out to be the only Phelsuma lineata that we saw at Ranomafana.

Here is a list of all the reptiles and frogs I saw on this 2007 trip to Madagascar.

We stayed at a different lodge on this trip, which had a less obvious population of this species than the Vakona Forest Lodge did 16 years earlier. I went a whole day in the Andasibe area before seeing Phelsuma lineata. Shocking!

Here is a list of all the reptiles and frogs I saw on this 2023 trip to Madagascar.

This little charmer was sleeping in the thatched roof of a storage building. Look at that adorable smile!

Public Service Announcement: when in Madagascar, never leave your Three Horses Beer unattended.