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The western banded gecko (''Coleonyx variegatus'') is a
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
lizard Lizard is the common name used for all Squamata, squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most Island#Oceanic isla ...
in the
family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Eublepharidae The Eublepharidae are a family of geckos (Gekkota) consisting of 43 described species in 6 genera. They occur in Asia, Africa, North America, and Central America. Eublepharid geckos lack adhesive toepads and, unlike other geckos, have movable ey ...
. The species is native to 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 ...
and adjacent northwestern
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 ...
. Five
subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...
are recognized.


Geographic range

In the United States, ''C. variegatus'' is found in
Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
, southern
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, southwestern
New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
,
Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
, and
Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
. In California, it is found in the Mojave and Sonoran deserts In Mexico, it is found in northwestern
Baja California Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...
and
Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into Municipalities of Sonora, 72 ...
.


Subspecies

Five subspecies of ''C. variegatus'' are recognized as being valid, including the
nominotypical subspecies In biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics ( morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. ...
. *''Coleonyx variegatus abbotti'' – San Diego banded gecko *''Coleonyx variegatus bogerti'' – Tucson banded gecko *''Coleonyx variegatus sonoriensis'' – Sonoran banded gecko *''Coleonyx variegatus utahensis'' – Utah banded gecko *''Coleonyx variegatus variegatus'' – desert banded gecko ''
Nota bene ( ; plural: ) is the Latin language, Latin phrase meaning ''note well''. In manuscripts, ''nota bene'' is abbreviated in upper-case as NB and N.B., and in lower-case as n.b. and nb; the editorial usages of ''nota bene'' and ''notate bene'' fi ...
'': A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in 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 ...
other than ''Coleonyx''.


Description

The western banded gecko is a
terrestrial Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth, as opposed to extraterrestrial. Terrestrial may also refer to: * Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on o ...
lizard Lizard is the common name used for all Squamata, squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most Island#Oceanic isla ...
, ranging in total length (including tail) from . The body of the western banded gecko (excluding the tail) rarely grows past 3 inches in length. Hatchlings measure . The body is sandy-colored with dark crossbands broken into patches. The tiny scales give its skin a silky texture. Unlike typical geckos, it has prominent eyes with movable lids. The male reptiles of this species have noticeable spurs on both sides of the body located at the base of the tail.


Habitat

The western banded gecko is found in a wide range of
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, including
creosote bush ''Larrea tridentata'', called creosote bush, greasewood, and chaparral is a medicinal herb. In Sonora, it is more commonly called ''hediondilla''; Spanish ''hediondo'' = "smelly". It is a flowering plant in the family Zygophyllaceae. The specific ...
and sagebrush desert, pinyon-juniper woodland, and catclaw-cedar-grama grass associations in the eastern part of its range and
chaparral Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant plant community, community found primarily in California, southern Oregon, and northern Baja California. It is shaped by a Mediterranean climate (mild wet winters and hot dry summers) and infrequent, high-intens ...
areas in the west. Its elevational range extends from below sea level to about asl. The species commonly lives in open and arid deserts and grasslands. The
substrate Substrate may refer to: Physical layers *Substrate (biology), the natural environment in which an organism lives, or the surface or medium on which an organism grows or is attached ** Substrate (aquatic environment), the earthy material that exi ...
in which the species lives ranges from rocky and sheltered areas to sandy
dunes A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, flat ...
and arroyos.


Behavior

The western banded gecko is secretive and
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 ...
, with individuals remaining hidden during the day and emerging after sunset to forage for food. It feeds on a diversity of
invertebrates Invertebrates are animals that neither develop nor retain a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''spine'' or ''backbone''), which evolved from the notochord. It is a paraphyletic grouping including all animals excluding the chordate subphylum ...
. When threatened by predators or other dangers, these geckos may exude a squeak or chirp. San Diego State University research of 2022 has revealed further insight into the feeding behaviors of the species. The lizards use very fast and precise movements, shaking their heads from side to side, in order to immobilize scorpions caught in their mouths. Researchers believe that this may be done in order to prevent the scorpions from injecting them with their venom. ''C. variegatus'' preys on small insects and spiders, and is one of the few reptiles that control scorpion populations by eating baby scorpions. Individuals prefer warm nights around 80°F, and they can often be seen near human habitations looking to make an easy meal of the insects attracted to landscape or porch lighting. ''C. variegatus'' is preyed upon by many species including coyotes, foxes, snakes, larger lizards, and even large invertebrates such as
tarantulas Tarantulas comprise a group of large and often hairy spiders of the Family (biology), family Theraphosidae. , 1,100 species have been identified, with 166 genera. The term "tarantula" is usually used to describe members of the family Therap ...
and solpugids. If captured, ''C. variegatus'' may squeak and may discard its tail in an attempt to distract the predator and escape. To deter predation, it can also curl its tails over its body to mimic a
scorpion Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the Order (biology), order Scorpiones. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by a pair of Chela (organ), grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward cur ...
.


Reproduction

The Western banded geckos breed during the months April and May. During the months of May through September, the female western banded geckos will lay one to three clutches of eggs. Each clutch of eggs contains two eggs. The eggs will then hatch in approximately 45 days.


Etymologies

The
subspecific name In biology, trinomial nomenclature is the system of names for taxa below the rank of species. These names have three parts. The usage is different in zoology and botany. In zoology In zoological nomenclature, a trinomen (), trinominal name, or ...
, ''abbotti'', is in honor of American ornithologist Clinton Gilbert Abbott. Beolens B, Watkins M,
Grayson M Grayson may refer to: Places Canada * Grayson, Saskatchewan * Rural Municipality of Grayson No. 184, Saskatchewan United States * Grayson, California * Grayson, Georgia ** Grayson High School * Grayson, Kentucky * Grayson, Louisiana * Gray ...
(2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Coleonyx variegatus abbotti'', p. 1; ''C. v. bogerti'', p. 30).
The subspecific name, ''bogerti'', is in honor of American herpetologist Charles Mitchill Bogert.


References


Further reading

* Behler JL, King FW (1979). ''The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians''. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 743 pp. . (''Coleonyx variegatus'', pp. 491–492 + Plates 392, 395). * Goin CJ, Goin OB, Zug GR (1978). ''Introduction to Herpetology, Third Edition''. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman. xi + 378 pp. . (''Coleonyx variegatus'', pp. 112, 129, 155). * Smith HM, Brodie ED Jr (1982). ''Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification''. New York: Golden Press. 240 pp. (paperback), (hardcover). (''Coleonyx variegatus'', pp. 66–67). * Stebbins RC (2003). ''A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, Third Edition''. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin. xiii + 533 pp. . (''Coleonyx variegatus'', pp. 264–265 + Plate 24 + Map 74). * Zim HS, Smith HM (1956). ''Reptiles and Amphibians: A Guide to Familiar American Species: A Golden Nature Guide''. New York: Simon and Schuster. 160 pp. (''Coleonyx variegatus'', pp. 47, 155). {{Taxonbar, from=Q1815083 Coleonyx Reptiles of the United States Reptiles of Mexico Fauna of the Southwestern United States Reptiles described in 1858 Taxa named by Spencer Fullerton Baird Fauna of the Mojave Desert