The peninsula leaf-toed gecko (''Phyllodactylus nocticolus'') is a medium-sized

gecko Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from . Geckos ar ...

. It is found in southern

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

(USA) and

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

(Mexico), including many islands in

Gulf of California The Gulf of California ( es, Golfo de California), also known as the Sea of Cortés (''Mar de Cortés'') or Sea of Cortez, or less commonly as the Vermilion Sea (''Mar Bermejo''), is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean that separates the Baja Ca ...

as well as Islas Magdalena and Santa Margarita off the west coast of Baja California.

Habitat

The peninsula leaf-toed gecko occurs in areas of

desert A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About on ...

shrubs and large open rocks. When looking at their range we can see that they live only in a small part of California. They have been found in abundance starting at the border, continuing through

Anza-Borrego Desert State park Anza-Borrego Desert State Park (, '' AN-zə bə-RAY-goh'') is a California State Park located within the Colorado Desert of southern California, United States. The park takes its name from 18th century Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza and ...

and stopping just north of

Palm Springs Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by land ...

. Although they only inhabit a small part of California they are found all throughout Baja California along the peninsula. They live among desert chaparral and can be found in little crevices or on large bare rocks.

Behavior

The peninsula leaf-toed gecko is nocturnal so it is most commonly found at night. They are often found out and about on rocks during the night and during day they can be found underneath rock slabs or in crevices. Although it’s not common, they are occasionally found underneath plant substance. They stalk and eat small invertebrates including moths, spiders and more. They have been seen mostly feeding from rocks but have also been spotted hunting along the ground and around plants.

Conservation status

This species is not listed as an

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

within California. This is likely due to the fact that they are found in areas where there is little to no human activity. Once humans start to slowly build and live within their environment then they may not thrive as well.

Bibliography

"Peninsula Leaf-toed Gecko - Phyllodactylus nocticolus". ''californiaherps.com''. Retrieved 2022-10-13. -This is an article taken from a website that is the guideline to Amphibians and Reptiles of California, so it should be a reliable source for information on a species of geckos. "Peninsular Leaf-toed Gecko". GeckoWeb. Retrieved 2022-10-13. -This is an article taken from a website that is an electronic field guide to geckos, so it should be a reliable source for information on a species of geckos.

References

nocticolus Reptiles of Mexico Reptiles of the United States Fauna of the Baja California Peninsula Fauna of the California chaparral and woodlands Reptiles described in 1964 Taxa named by James R. Dixon {{gecko-stub