''Coleonyx'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of terrestrial

gecko Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates. They range from . Geckos are unique among lizards ...

s commonly referred to as banded geckos.

Species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of ''Coleonyx'' are found in the

southwestern United States The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural list of regions of the United States, region of the United States that includes Arizona and New Mexico, along with adjacen ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, and

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

. Most banded Geckos enjoy dry, warm weather which is why they are typically found in the Peninsular Desert. Some, however, prefer humid forests. They are relatively small lizards, measuring about inches in total length (including tail). They are

nocturnal Nocturnality is a ethology, behavior in some non-human animals characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatur ...

and are found primarily in dry, rocky

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

s. Banded Geckos have preyed by snakes, their main predators being rattlesnakes and glossy snakes. Banded Geckos can decipher how they should react when they obtain a chemical cue based on their knowledge of the predator. A main resource they use to distract the predator is losing their tail or escaping quickly. Banded Geckos possess heteromorphic euchromatic sex chromosomes which play a large role in their historical contingency. Microsatellite distribution on sex chromosomes at different stages of heteromorphism and heterochromatinization in two lizard species (Squamata: Eublepharidae: Coleonyx elegans and Lacertidae: Eremias velox)

Species

* ''

Coleonyx brevis The Texas banded gecko (''Coleonyx brevis'') is a species of small gecko native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Description Texas banded geckos are small, terrestrial lizards, rarely exceeding in length. They have alte ...

'' ( Stejneger, 1893) – Texas banded gecko * '' Coleonyx elegans'' – Yucatán banded gecko ** ''Coleonyx elegans nemoralis'' ( Klauber, 1945) ** ''Coleonyx elegans elegans'' (

Gray Grey (more frequent in British English) or gray (more frequent in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning that it has no chroma. It is the color of a cloud-covered s ...

, 1845) * '' Coleonyx fasciatus'' ( Boulenger, 1885) – black banded gecko * '' Coleonyx mitratus'' ( Peters, 1863) – Central American banded gecko * '' Coleonyx nemoralis'' Klauber, 1945 * '' Coleonyx reticulatus'' ( Davis & Dixon, 1958) – reticulate banded gecko * ''

Coleonyx switaki Switak's banded gecko (''Coleonyx switaki''), also commonly known as the barefoot banded gecko, the barefoot gecko, and Switak's barefoot gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Eublepharidae. The species is indigenous to the extreme southwe ...

'' (Murphy, 1974) – Switak's banded gecko * '' Coleonyx gypsicolus'' ( Grismer & Ottlery, 1988) * '' Coleonyx variegatus'' Baird, 1858 – western banded gecko ** ''Coleonyx variegatus abbotti'' ( Klauber, 1945) ** ''Coleonyx variegatus bogerti'' ( Klauber, 1945) ** ''Coleonyx variegatus peninsularis'' ( Klauber, 1945) ** ''Coleonyx variegatus slevini'' ( Klauber, 1945) ** ''Coleonyx variegatus sonoriensis'' ( Klauber, 1945) ** ''Coleonyx variegatus utahensis'' ( Klauber, 1945) ** ''Coleonyx variegatus variegatus'' ( Baird, 1858)

References

External links

* Lizard genera Taxa named by John Edward Gray {{gecko-stub