Phelsuma [SEP] parent taxon
Phelsuma
Phelsuma is a large genus of mostly small lizards in the family Gekkonidae. Species in the genus "Phelsuma" are commonly referred to as day geckos.
Some day geckos are seriously endangered and some are common, but all "Phelsuma" species are CITES Appendix II listed. Little is known about trade in day geckos, but the IUCN considers it a threat to some species. Some species are captive-bred.
Description.
In contrast to most other gecko species, day geckos are active mainly during
Taxon in disguise
In bacteriology, a taxon in disguise is a species, genus or higher unit of biological classification whose evolutionary history reveals has evolved from another unit of similar or lower rank, making the parent unit paraphyletic. This happens when rapid evolution makes a new species appear radically different from the ancestral group, so that it is not (initially) recognised as belonging to the parent phylogenetic group, leaving the latter an evolutionary grade.
While the term is from bacteriology, parallel examples are found throughout the tree of