Coleonyx variegatus
Silhouette: Jose Carlos Arenas-Monroy · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
The western banded gecko (Coleonyx variegatus) is a species of lizard in the family Eublepharidae. The species is native to the southwestern United States and adjacent northwestern Mexico. Five subspecies are recognized.
In the United States, C. variegatus is found in Arizona, southern California, southwestern New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah. In California, it is found in the Mojave and Sonoran deserts In Mexico, it is found in northwestern Baja California and Sonora.
Five subspecies of C. variegatus are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies. Coleonyx variegatus abbotti Klauber, 1945 – San Diego banded gecko Coleonyx variegatus bogerti Klauber, 1945 – Tucson banded gecko
Coleonyx variegatus sonoriensis Klauber, 1945 – Sonoran banded gecko Coleonyx variegatus utahensis Klauber, 1945 – Utah banded gecko Coleonyx variegatus variegatus (Baird, 1858) – desert banded gecko Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Coleonyx.
The western banded gecko is a terrestrial lizard, ranging in total length (including tail) from 4... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Death Valley National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 5 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phoenix Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Philadelphia Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | The Living Planet Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States |
No species of the same family or order lives in Death Valley National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Western Banded Gecko sighting in Death Valley National Park on a given day, based on 48 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 15th most-seen of the 30 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Western Banded Gecko in Death Valley National Park on a given day, against under 5% in December and January, the lowest months. That is one of Death Valley National Park's wettest months, with about 30 mm of rain against 5 mm in June.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Western Banded Gecko sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Yes
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Western Banded Gecko sightings, Death Valley National Park has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Saguaro National Park (United States, about 20%) and Joshua Tree National Park (United States, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Western Banded Gecko is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Death Valley National Park (48 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
