General Description: These are small, banded lizards with very fine scales and short, fat tails. They tend to come out at night.

Taxonomy: Ground Gecko Family (Gekkonidae).

Technical Description: Geckos are recognized by soft, pliable skin, fine scales, large eyes, and vertical pupils. This species is a medium-sized (total length 3 to 5 in.) lizard with protruding eyes, elliptical pupils, and movable eyelids. The dorsal coloration is cream or pinkish with brown crossbands. The skin on the ventral surface is translucent, and some internal organs may be visible. The scales are uniformly granular and smooth. The toes are slender, but they do not have the large toe pads seen in other species of gecko. The tail is banded, sometimes swollen, and easily broken.

Diet: Feeds at night, mainly insects and spiders.

Habitat: This species is generally found in the Mojave Desert Scrub (Upper Sonoran Life Zone) where common plant species include Blackbrush, Honey Mesquite, and Catclaw Acacia. Less commonly, they are found in Pinyon-Juniper Woodland (Upper Sonoran Life Zone) with sagebrush, and in desert riparian areas. Rocks, crevices, fallen logs, limbs, and rubbish piles provide shelter.

Range: This species is found throughout the southwestern deserts from southern Nevada southward to western Mexico up to about 5,000 ft in elevation. Two subspecies occur in Clark County: the Desert Banded Gecko (C. v. variegatus) occurs in western and southern Clark County, while the Utah Banded Gecko (C. v. utahensis) occurs in northeastern Clark County. In the Desert Banded Gecko, the dark bands are equal to or narrower than the light bands, while in the Utah Banded Gecko, the dark bands are wider than the light bands.

Breeding: 1 to 3 clutches of 2 eggs each laid during spring through late summer.

Similar Species: Banded Geckos are the only species of gecko native to Nevada; an introduced species, the Mediterranean Gecko (Hemidactlyus 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 back.

Comments: Primarily nocturnal. May vocalize by squeaking or barking when caught.

Note: These four images are the same individual that was found at Rhyolite, Nye County, Nevada.