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''Coleonyx'' is a
''Coleonyx'' is a genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
of terrestrial geckos commonly referred to as banded geckos. Species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of ''Coleonyx'' are found in the southwestern United States, Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, and Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
. Banded Geckos enjoy dry, warm weather which is why they are typically found in the Peninsular Desert. They are relatively small lizards, measuring about inches in total length (including tail). They are nocturnal and are found primarily in dry, rocky habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
s. Banded Geckos have preyed by snakes, their main predators being rattlesnakes and glossy snakes. Banded Geckos can decipher how they should react when they obtain a chemical cue based on their knowledge of the predator. A main resource they use to distract the predator is losing their tail or escaping quickly. Banded Geckos possess heteromorphic euchromatic sex chromosomes which play a large role in their historical contingency. Microsatellite distribution on sex chromosomes at different stages of heteromorphism and heterochromatinization in two lizard species (Squamata: Eublepharidae: Coleonyx elegans and Lacertidae: Eremias velox)
Species
* '' Coleonyx brevis'' ( Stejneger, 1893) – Texas banded gecko * '' Coleonyx elegans'' – Yucatán banded gecko ** ''Coleonyx elegans nemoralis'' ( Klauber, 1945) ** ''Coleonyx elegans elegans'' (Gray
Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed o ...
, 1845)
* '' Coleonyx fasciatus'' ( Boulenger, 1885) – black banded gecko
* '' Coleonyx mitratus'' (Peters Peters may refer to:
People
* Peters (surname)
* Peters Band, a First Nations band in British Columbia, Canada
Places United States
* Peters, California, a census-designated place
* Peters, Florida, a town
* Peters Township, Kingman County, Kan ...
, 1863) – Central American banded gecko
* '' Coleonyx nemoralis'' Klauber, 1945
* '' Coleonyx reticulatus'' ( Davis & Dixon, 1958) – reticulate banded gecko
* '' Coleonyx switaki'' (Murphy, 1974) – Switak's banded gecko
* '' Coleonyx gypsicolus'' ( Grismer & Ottlery, 1988)
* '' Coleonyx variegatus'' Baird, 1858 – western banded gecko
** ''Coleonyx variegatus abbotti'' ( Klauber, 1945)
** ''Coleonyx variegatus bogerti'' ( Klauber, 1945)
** ''Coleonyx variegatus peninsularis'' ( Klauber, 1945)
** ''Coleonyx variegatus slevini'' ( Klauber, 1945)
** ''Coleonyx variegatus sonoriensis'' ( Klauber, 1945)
** ''Coleonyx variegatus utahensis'' ( Klauber, 1945)
** ''Coleonyx variegatus variegatus'' ( Baird, 1858)
References
External links
* Lizard genera Taxa named by John Edward Gray {{gecko-stub