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Coleonyx elegans GRAY, 1845

IUCN Red List - Coleonyx elegans - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaEublepharidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Yucatan Banded Gecko
G: Mexikanischer Krallengecko, Gebänderter Yukatan-Gecko
S: Niño 
SynonymColeonyx elegans GRAY 1845: 162
Gymnodactylus scapularis DUMÉRIL & DUMÉRIL 1851
Coleonyx coleonyx DUMÉRIL 1856
Coleonyx elegans — BOULENGER 1885: 235
Coleonyx elegans — GAIGE 1936
Coleonyx elegans elegans — KLAUBER 1945: 191
Coleonyx elegans — KLUGE 1993
Coleonyx elegans — RÖSLER 1995: 62
Coleonyx elegans — KÖHLER 2000: 47
Coleonyx elegans — SEUFER et al. 2005
Coleonyx elegans — MATA-SILVA et al. 2015 
DistributionS Mexico (Veracruz, Oaxaca, Tabasco, Yucatan, Chiapas, Quintana Roo, Nayarit), south to N Guatemala.

Type locality: Belize, British H onduras.  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesHolotype: BMNH 1946.8.27.7 
DiagnosisUnfortunately we had to temporarily remove additional information as this was scraped by multiple AI companies who sell that data to their customers. These details, e.g. detailed descriptions or comparisons (about 2053 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentDistribution: Has been reported for Honduras. Not listed for Honduras by KÖHLER (2000). Not listed for Honduras by WILSON & MCCRANIE (2002).

Type species: Coleonyx elegans GRAY 1845 is the type species of the genus Coleonyx GRAY 1845.

Species groups: The five species of Coleonyx (described by 1970) form two distinct groups based on size and squamation. Coleonyx elegans, C. mitratus, and C. reticulatus are large species, with enlarged tubercles scattered among the dorsal granules; C. brevis and C. variegatus are small, uniformly granular species (Klauber, 1945; Davis and Dixon, 1958).

Subspecies: Coleonyx elegans nemoralis KLAUBER 1945 has been elevated to full species status by Butler et al. 2022.

Key: Klauber 1945: 205 and Dixon 1970 provide keys to the species and subspecies of Coleonyx.

Reference images: see Uetz et al. 2024 for high-resolution reference images for this species.

Genome: Colston et al. 2025. 
EtymologyThe species is named after the Latin adjective elegans, meaning "choice elegant, tasteful”, in reference to the beautiful color pattern (Lemos-Espinal & Dixon 2013).

The genus name was derived from the Greek words koleos, meaning “sheath”, and onyx, meaning "nail, talon, or claw," in reference to the sheathed claws of this genus. 
References
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