Description: Geckos are recognized by their soft, pliable skin, fine scales,
large eyes, and vertical pupils. A medium-sized (total length: 8 - 13 cm [3 - 5 in.]) lizard with protruding eyes, elliptical pupils, and movable eyelids. Dorsal coloration is cream or pinkish with brown cross bands; skin on the ventral surface is translucent, some internal organs may be visible, scales are uniformly granular and smooth. Toes are slender without toe pads as seen in other species of gecko. The tail is banded, sometimes swollen, and breaks easily. Primarily nocturnal. May vocalize by squeaking when caught. This is the only gecko native to Nevada. An introduced species, the Mediterranean gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus), is common around homes and yards in the Las Vegas Valley and can be recognized by the presence of white tubercles (warts) on the dorsum.
Diet: Feeds at night on arthropods, mainly insects and spiders.
Habitat: Mojave desert scrub, and mesquite/catclaw habitats. Less common
in pinyon-juniper, sagebrush, blackbrush, and desert riparian habitats. Rocks,
crevices, yucca stumps, litter, and rubbish piles provide shelter. Elevation: up to
1,500 m (5,000 ft.).
Range: Found throughout the southwestern deserts from southern Nevada
southward to western Mexico. Two subspecies occur in Clark County: the
Desert banded gecko (Coleonyx variegatus variegatus) illustrated above, which
occurs in western and southern Clark County, while the Utah banded gecko
(Coleonyx variegatus utahensis) occurs in northeastern Clark County. In the Desert banded gecko, the dark bands are equal to or narrower than the
interspaces, while in the Utah banded gecko, the dark bands are wider than
the interspaces.