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Switak's banded gecko facts for kids

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Switak's banded gecko
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Genus:
Coleonyx
Species:
switaki
Synonyms
  • Anarbylus switaki
    R. Murphy, 1974
  • Coleonyx swaitaki [sic]
    Stebbins, 1985
    (ex errore)
  • Coleonyx switaki
    — Kluge, 1993

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.

Etymology

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

Geographic range

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

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of C. switaki are desert and rocky areas.

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.

Reproduction

C. switaki is oviparous.

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