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 southwestern United States and adjacent northwestern Mexico.
| Switak's banded gecko | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Eublepharidae |
| Genus: | Coleonyx |
| Species: | C. switaki
|
| Binomial name | |
| Coleonyx switaki (R. Murphy, 1974)
| |
| Synonyms[2] | |
Etymology edit
The specific name, switaki, is in honor of German herpetologist Karl-Heinz Switak (born 1938).[3]
Geographic range edit
C. switaki is native to southern California in the United States and Baja California and Baja California Sur in Mexico.[4]
Habitat edit
The preferred natural habitats of C. switaki are desert and rocky areas.[1]
Taxonomy edit
Coleonyx gypsicolus, which is endemic to Isla San Marcos in Mexico, is sometimes considered a subspecies of C. switaki.
Description edit
C. switaki reaches a snout-to-vent length of 5.1–8.6 centimetres (2.0–3.4 in). The body of C. switaki is covered in round brown spots. Despite one of its common names, Switak's banded gecko, C. switaki has a variable color pattern that may not feature bands.[4]
Reproduction edit
References edit
- ^ a b Hollingsworth, B.; Hammerson, G.A. (2007). "Coleonyx switaki". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2007: e.T64038A12738943. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2007.RLTS.T64038A12738943.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ a b Species Coleonyx switaki at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
- ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Coleonyx switaki, p. 259).
- ^ a b "Coleonyx switaki switaki - Peninsular Banded Gecko". California Reptiles & Amphibians. Retrieved 2009-06-28.
Further reading edit
- Grismer LL (2001). "Geographic Variation of Color Pattern in Peninsular Populations of Coleonyx switaki (Squamata: Eublepharidae) from Baja California, Mexico and Southern California". Gekko 2 (1): 14–19.
- Jones LLC, Lovich RE (2009). Lizards of the American Southwest: A Photographic Field Guide. Tucson, Arizona: Rio Nuevo Publishers. 568 pp.
- Murphy RW (1974). "A new genus and species of eublepharine gecko (Sauria: Gekkonidae) from Baja California, Mexico". Proc. California Acad. Sci., Fourth Series 40: 87-92. (Anarbylus switaki, new species).
- Rösler H (2000). "Kommentirte Liste der rezent, subrezent und fossil bekannten Geckotaxa (Reptilia: Gekkonomorpha)". Gekkota 2: 28–153. (Coleonyx switaki, p. 63). (in German).
- Stebbins RC (2003). A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, Third Edition. The Peterson Field Guide Series ®. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. 533 pp. ISBN 978-0-395-98272-3. (Coleonyx switaki, pp. 265–266 + Plate 24 + Map 75).
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