Switak's banded gecko

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
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Infraorder:	Gekkota
Family:	Eublepharidae
Genus:	Coleonyx
Species:	C. switaki
Binomial name
Coleonyx switaki (R. Murphy, 1974)
Synonyms[2]
Anarbylus switaki R. Murphy, 1974 Coleonyx swaitaki [sic] Stebbins, 1985 (ex errore) Coleonyx switaki — Kluge, 1993

Etymology

The specific name, switaki, is in honor of German herpetologist Karl-Heinz Switak (born 1938).^[3]

Geographic range

C. switaki is native to southern California in the United States and Baja California and Baja California Sur in Mexico.^[4]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of C. switaki are desert and rocky areas.^[1]

Taxonomy

Coleonyx gypsicolus, which is endemic to Isla San Marcos in Mexico, is sometimes considered a subspecies of C. switaki.

Description

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

C. switaki is oviparous.^[2]