California Reptiles & Amphibians

Coleonyx variegatus variegatus - Desert Banded Gecko

Click on a picture for a larger view

Range in California: Red

Green: San Diego Banded Gecko

Listen to this Gecko

Adult, eastern Riverside County

Adult, Inyo County

Sub-adult, eastern Kern County

Adult female, Imperial County

Adult male, Imperial County

Adult, San Diego County

Adult, eastern Riverside County

Adult, Imperial County

Males have spurs at the base of the tail. Females do not. Compare

Adult, eastern Riverside County.
© Geoff Fangerow

Adult, San Diego County © Patrick Briggs

Desert Banded Gecko on the left with a
San Diego Banded Gecko on the right for comparison. © Bruce Edley

Habitat, San Diego County

Habitat, Riverside County

Habitat, Inyo County

Habitat, San Diego County

Habitat, San Bernardino County

Habitat, Riverside County

Short Video

A night shot of a gecko crawling slowly and waving its tail.

Description

Size

2 - 3 inches long from snout to vent (5.1 - 7.6 cm).

Appearance

A small, slender lizard with movable eyelids and vertical pupils. The head is triangular in shape and wider than the neck, and is usually spotted. The skin is soft with fine granular scales (without tubercles). Toes are long and slender. Tail is constricted at the base.

Color pattern is variable, with a pale yellow, pink, or light gray background, and tan or brown bands on the body and tail. These bands may be broken into blotches, especially on older adults. The width of the dark bands is equal to or less than the width of the light areas. Juveniles tend to have more prominent unbroken bands.

Males have spurs on each side of the base of the tail.

Behavior

Active at night, hiding in burrows or under surface objects during daylight. Hibernates through the winter (generally November to February).
Curls the tail up and waves it back and forth off the ground when stalking prey.
When grasped, this gecko may emit a short squeak. Listen.
When threatened, it may drop its tail to distract a predator. The tail will grow back, typically without the banding pattern matching the rest of the lizard's body.

Diet

A variety of small invertebrates.

Reproduction

Breeding occurs during April and May. Females lay 1 or two eggs from May to September, which hatch in 45 days.

Range

In California, this gecko is found in the deserts - on the eastern edge of the Peninsular ranges from the Baja California border east to the Colorado River, north on the northern side of the Transverse ranges and along the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the Bishop area. Ranges inland through the Kern River Canyon to Granite Station in the western Sierra foothills and eastern edge of the San Joaquin Valley. From below sea level to around 5,000 ft. (1,520 m).

Ranges beyond California into the southern tip of Nevada, across the western half of Arizona, into northeastern Baja California and mainland Mexico.

Habitat

Arid areas including creosote flats, sagebrush desert, pinon-juniper woods, chaparral. Prefers rocky areas, but may occur in rockless ares such as sand dunes.

Taxonomic Notes

The species Coleonyx variegatus consists of four supspecies in the US, (two in California) with two more in Mexico.

Conservation Issues (Conservation Status)

None.

Taxonomy
Family	Gekkonidae (Eublepharidae)	Geckos
Genus	Coleonyx	Banded Geckos
Species	variegatus	Western Banded Gecko
Subspecies	variegatus	Desert Banded Gecko
Original Description
Coleonyx variegatus - (Baird, 1858) - Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, Vol. 10, p. 254 from Original Description Citations for the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America © Ellin Beltz
Meaning of the Scientific Name
Coleonyx - Greek: koleos - sheath and onyx - nail, talon or claw - refers to sheathed claws variegatus - Latin - of different colors - refers to contrasting elements of color pattern from Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America - Explained © Ellin Beltz
Alternate Names
None
Related or Similar California Lizards
Peninsular Banded Gecko - C. switaki San Diego Banded Gecko - C. v. abbottii
More Information and References
Natureserve Explorer California Dept. of Fish and Game Stebbins, Robert C. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians. 3rd Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003. Behler, John L., & F. Wayne King. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, 1992. Lemm, Jeffrey. Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of the San Diego Region (California Natural History Guides). University of California Press, 2006. Smith, Hobart M. Handbook of Lizards, Lizards of the United States and of Canada. Cornell University Press, 1946.

Conservation Status
The following status listings come from the Special Animals List which is published several times each year by the California Department of Fish and Game. This animal is not included on the Special Animals List, which indicates that there are no significant conservation concerns for it in California.
Organization	Status Listing
U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA)
California Endangered Species Act (CESA)
California Department of Fish and Game
Bureau of Land Management
USDA Forest Service
Natureserve Global Conservation Status Ranks
World Conservation Union - IUCN Red List