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Coleonyx variegatus (BAIRD, 1858)

IUCN Red List - Coleonyx variegatus - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaEublepharidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos)
SubspeciesColeonyx variegatus abbotti KLAUBER 1945
Coleonyx variegatus peninsularis KLAUBER 1945
Coleonyx variegatus sonoriensis KLAUBER 1945
Coleonyx variegatus variegatus (BAIRD 1858) 
Common NamesE: Western Banded Gecko
abbotti: San Diego Banded Gecko, San Diegan Banded Gecko
bogerti: Tucson Banded Gecko
sonoriensis: Sonoran Banded Gecko
utahensis: Utah Banded Gecko
variegatus: Desert Banded Gecko
G: Gebänderter Wüstengecko, Krallengecko
S: Geco de Bandas Occidental 
SynonymStenodactylus variegatus BAIRD 1858: 254
Coleonyx variegatus — COPE 1867: 85
Eublepharis variegatus — BOULENGER 1885: 233
Eublepharis variegatus — MOCQUARD 1899: 300
Coleonyx variegatus slevini KLAUBER 1945: 167 (fide GRISMER 1999)
Coleonyx vulgaris HAMILTON 1964: 270 (nomen incorrectum)
Coleonyx variegatus — STEBBINS 1985: 110
Coleonyx variegatus — KLUGE 1993
Coleonyx variegatus — RÖSLER 2000: 63
Coleonyx variegatus — SEUFER et al. 2005
Coleonyx variegatus — CROTHER et al. 2012
Coleonyx variegatus — HANSEN & SHEDD 2025

Coleonyx variegatus abbotti KLAUBER 1945
Coleonyx variegatus abbotti KLAUBER 1945: 154
Coleonyx variegatus abbotti — SMITH & HOLLAND 1971
Coleonyx variegatus abbotti — BOSTIC 1971
Coleonyx variegatus abbotti — GRISMER et al. 1994
Coleonyx variegatus abbotti — RÖSLER 2000: 63
Coleonyx variegatus abbotti — CROTHER et al. 2012
Coleonyx variegatus abbotti — THOMSON et al. 2016
Coleonyx variegatus abbotti — LEAVITT et al. 2020

Coleonyx variegatus peninsularis KLAUBER 1945: 160 (GRISMER et al 1994)
Coleonyx variegatus peninsularis — LEVITON & BANTA 1964
Coleonyx variegatus peninsularis — LEAVITT et al. 2020

Coleonyx variegatus sonoriensis KLAUBER 1945
Coleonyx variegatus sonoriensis — REYES et al. 2014
Coleonyx variegatus sonoriensis — LEAVITT et al. 2020

Coleonyx variegatus variegatus (BAIRD 1858)
Stenodactylus variegatus BAIRD 1858: 254
Coleonyx variegatus bogerti KLAUBER 1945: 176
Coleonyx variegatus utahensis KLAUBER 1945: 171
Coleonyx variegatus bogerti — DIXON & MEDICA 1965
Coleonyx variegatus utahensis — TANNER 1970: 221
Coleonyx variegatus utahensis — CROTHER et al. 2012
Coleonyx variegatus bogerti — CROTHER et al. 2012
Coleonyx variegatus variegatus — CROTHER et al. 2012
Coleonyx variegatus variegatus — DE QUEIROZ in CROTHER et al. 2017
Coleonyx variegatus variegatus — LEAVITT et al. 2020 
DistributionUSA (S California, SC Arizona, SW New Mexico, Utah/Arizona/Nevada),
Mexico (NW Baja California, Sonora, Sinaloa)

abbotti: S California, south to the west slope of the San Pedro Martir Mountains of Lower California, Mexico; Type locality: Proctor Valley, San Diego County, California.

bogerti: Arizona; type locality: Xavier, Pima County, Arizona.

slevini: endemic to Isla Santa Inez in the Gulf of California, Mexico; type locality: South Santa Inez Island (Lat. 27° N.) on the Gulf of California coast of Lower California, Mexico.

sonoriensis: Mexico (Sonora); type locality: 5 miles southeast of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico.

utahensis: Utah; type locality: Watercress Spring, Washington County, Utah.

Type locality: Rio Grande und Gila Valleys. Restricted to Winterhaven, California by SMITH & TAYLOR 1950.  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesHolotype: USNM 3217 (lost fide KLAUBER 1945, although Dixon 1970 does not mention a missing type) (variegatus)
Holotype: SDNHM = SDSNH 34790; paratypes SDNHM = SDSNH [abbotti]
Holotype: SDNHM = SDSNH 32486; no paratypes [bogerti]
Holotype: MCZ [peninsularis]
Holotype: SDNHM = SDSNH 35792; paratypes SDNHM = SDSNH 36021-36024, BYU [utahensis]
Holotype: CAS 51697 [slevini]
Holotype: UMMZ 72140 [sonoriensis] 
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 8830 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentSynonymy: GRISMER (1999) synonymized Coleonyx variegatus slevini with the nominate form based on scale counts: slevini has 3-5 postmental scales and adjacent peninsular populations of C. variegatus have 4-7. Also, slevini has 5-7 dark body bands and adjacent peninsular C. variegatus has 4-6. GRISMER et al 1994 also considered C. v. peninsularis as a synonym of C. v. abbotti. However, Leavitt et al. 2020 find peninsularis to be a separate lineage that supports its subspecific status. The subspecies C. v. bogerti was considered as a junior synonym of C. v. variegatus by de Queiroz et al. in Crother (2017). The latter followed suggestions in Leavitt 2015 to synonymize bogerti and utahensis with C. v. variegatus.

Diet: Parker 1974

Distribution: map for abbotti in Thomson et al. 2016: 198.

Body temperature: Parker 1974 
EtymologyApparently Named after Latin variegatus, colored; party colored, variegated.

C. v. abbottii was named after Mr. Clinton G. Abbott, Director of the San Diego Society of Natural History, a friend, editorial guide, and scientific associate of Klauber for many years.

C. v. peninsularis was named after its occurrence on the peninsula of Baja California.

C. v. sonoriensis was named after its type locality in Sonora. 
References
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