San Lucan Banded Gecko, Coleonyx variegatus peninsularis

San Lucan Banded Gecko, Coleonyx variegatus peninsularis. Collected in Agua Verde, Baja California Sur, March 2019. Length: 3.5 cm (1.4 inches); tail: 1.4 cm (0.6 inches). Catch and photograph courtesy of Barry Mastro, Escondido, California, Identification and very productive discussion with Gary Nafis, Californiaherps.com noted. Gary believes that the photographed animal is a male that has lost and regenerated its tail.

The San Lucan Banded Gecko, Coleonyx variegatus peninsularis, is a member of the Eublepharidae family of Geckos. The Eublepharidae family consists of thirty species placed in six genera. There are seven species in the Coleonyx genus. The San Lucan Banded Gecko is one of six subspecies of the Western Banded Gecko, Coleonyx variegatus. The San Lucan Banded Gecko is known in Mexico as Salamanquesa de Franjas.

San Lucan Banded Geckos are slender with a triangular shaped head that is wider than their neck. They have soft skin that is covered with fine, granular dorsal scales and small, rounded ventral scales. They vary in color from light gray, pink, or light yellow dorsally with a pale ventral surface. Dark crossbands mark their dorsal surface, with four to five on their back and up to ten on their tail. The width of the crossbands is wider than the space between them. Adults have dark spotting on their head, and the banding of older adults may be faded or reduced to spots. They have functional eyelids, vertically elliptical pupils, and no gular fold. Their toes are slender and lack enlarged toe pads. They range in size from 5.0 cm (2.0 inches) to 8.0 cm (3.1 inches) in snout to vent length. Sexual dimorphism is displayed with males growing smaller than the females and possessing spurs on each side of the base of their tail.

San Lucan Banded Geckos are nocturnal and spend their days hiding in burrows, under rocks, in crevices, or under debris. When they walk, they leave distinctive tracks of alternating small footprints without a tail drag. Mating occurs in the spring, and females lay one or two eggs that hatch in forty-five days. Hatchlings measure approximately 2.5 cm (1.0 inch) to 3.0 cm (1.2 inches) in snout to vent length. They are known to hibernate from November to January. San Lucan Banded Geckos are active foragers and consume various small arthropods such as insects and spiders. In turn, they are preyed upon by snakes, larger lizards, foxes, coyotes, and large spiders. When threatened they emit a squeak and drop their tail, which serves as a distraction and allows the rest of them to escape. Their tail will regenerate, however, without the banded pattern. They live five to eight years in the wild and up to fifteen years in captivity. 

Four other Western Banded Gecko subspecies are found in Mexico: the Desert Banded Gecko, Coleonyx variegatus variegatus, in Baja California and northwestern Sonora, the San Diego Banded Gecko, Coleonyx variegatus abbotti, in Baja California and northern Baja California Sur, the Sonoran Banded Gecko, Coleonyx variegatus sonoriensis, in southwestern Sonora, and the Tucson Banded Gecko, Coleonyx variegatus bogerti, in northern Sonora. These subspecies are primarily distinguished geographically. 

From a conservation perspective, the San Lucan Banded Gecko subspecies has not been formally evaluated by the IUCN. However, the Western Banded Gecko, Coleonyx variegatus, is considered to be of Least Concern due to their wide distribution and presumed large population size. Local threats include conversion of habitat for human uses, however, the overall species is not threatened.