Family: Gekkonidae, Geckos view all from this family

Description 4 1/2-6" (11.4-15 cm). Medium-sized lizard with protruding eyelids. Light tan with dark brown to black crossbands, most evident in juveniles, breaking up with age into blotches, spots, and variegations. Skin supple; dorsal scales uniformly granular. Preanal pores continuous across midline of males. Toes slender; no pads.

Subspecies Eight; 4 in our range. Desert (C. v. variegatus), s. California (except coast), sw. Nevada, and w. Arizona to Gulf of California.
San Diego (C. v. abbotti), Pacific slopes of s. California into n. half of Baja peninsula.
Utah (C. v. utahensis), sw. Utah and adjacent corners of Nevada and Arizona.
Tucson (C. v. bogerti), se. Arizona and sw. New Mexico.

Voice Chirps when caught.

Breeding Lays 1-3 clutches of 2 eggs, May to September. Hatchlings appear in 45 days, July to November.

Habitat Rocky tracts, canyon walls, and sand dunes in deserts and semi-arid areas. Avoids the heat of day by hiding in rock crevices or under logs, fallen limbs, or rubbish.

Range S. California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona, south into Baja California and Mexico.

Discussion Nocturnal. Often encountered at night, silhouetted by auto headlights against the black asphalt of desert roads. Feeds on insects and spiders. When stalking prey, a Banded Gecko waves its tail like a prowling cat. A constriction at the tail's base marks the place where it breaks away when grabbed.