Coleonyx variegatus
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| Western Banded Gecko | ||||||||||||||||
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 San Diego Banded Gecko, Coleonyx variegatus abbotti
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The Western Banded Gecko (Coleonyx variegatus), is a species of gecko found in the southwestern United States (southern California, southwest New Mexico, southern Arizona, Utah, Nevada and northern Mexico (Sonora, northwest Baja California).
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[edit] Description
Western banded geckos are terrestrial lizards, ranging in length from 12 - 15cm. The body is sandy coloured with dark bands broken into patches. The tiny scales give its skin a silky texture. Unlike typical geckos, it has prominent eyes with movable lids.
[edit] Behaviour
A secretive and nocturnal gecko, they forage at night for small insects and spiders. If captured, they squeak and may discard their tail. As a defence mechanism they may also curl their tail over their body to mimic a scorpion. Females lay 2 soft-shelled eggs at a time.
[edit] Subspecies
Six subspecies of the Western Banded Gecko have been identified
- C.v.abbotti
- C.v.bogerti
- C.v.slevini
- C.v.sonoriensis
- C.v.utahensis
- C.v.variegatus
[edit] External links
- Genus Coleonyx at The Reptile Database
