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Western banded gecko

Coleonyx variegatus · Lizards · Reptiles

Western banded gecko (Coleonyx variegatus): Small, fragile-looking lizard, 2-3 in, cream coloured with dark crossbands. Large eyes with vertical pupils. This profile does not establish whether taking it is legal anywhere.

Check rules for a place and date

Certified rules currently represented in Hunt: coverage in development. This is coverage, not a legal answer.

Scientific name
Coleonyx variegatus
Family
Gekkonidae
In North America
Native
Range
Southern California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah, western and southern Arizona and extreme southwestern New Mexico, and throughout Baja California and western Sonora; from below sea level to about 2,000 m. Not in Canada.
Biology

How to identify it

Small, fragile-looking lizard, 2-3 in, cream coloured with dark crossbands. [1][2][3]

Large eyes with vertical pupils. [1][2][3]

Sexes are not dimorphic in appearance (per CWHR); two forms occur in California: the desert banded gecko and the San Diego banded gecko. [1][2][3]

Field knowledge

Where it lives

Wide range of desert and semi-arid habitats from creosote and sagebrush desert to pinyon-juniper and chaparral, on rocky areas and sandy flats or dunes; most abundant in sandy flats and washes. [1][2][3]

The San Diego form favours coastal scrub and chaparral granite or rocky outcrops. [1][2][3]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Nocturnal; peak activity about two hours after sunset, sometimes emerging in late afternoon to warm up; active April-October with a peak in May. [1][2][3]

Spends the day under rocks, boards, fallen yucca stems and other litter or in mammal burrows; hibernates in burrows. [1][2][3]

Eats beetles, termites, spiders and other arthropods; females lay a clutch of two eggs, buried in soil or under rocks. [1][2][3]

Regulatory handoff

Limited legal take

Legal take of this species exists only under narrow conditions — a quota, a draw, a permit, a small area, or animals released or held on private land — set by the authorities below. Nowhere else is a legal opportunity implied, and Hunt shows one only where a certified rule establishes it.

Where legal take is listed

Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.

Geospatial intelligence

Where it is found

Southern California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah, western and southern Arizona and extreme southwestern New Mexico, and throughout Baja California and western Sonora; from below sea level to about 2,000 m. Not in Canada.

Biology

Sources

Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.

  1. NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30

    NatureServe

  2. California Department of Fish and Wildlife · reviewed 2026-09-30

    California Department of Fish and Wildlife

  3. National Park Service · reviewed 2026-09-30

    National Park Service