THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY

Reptilia    Squamata (part-other lizards)    Eublepharidae  

Switak’s Banded Gecko
Coleonyx switaki (Murphy, 1974)
COH-lee-oh-nicks — SHVEE-tahk-eye

SSAR 9th Edition Comments:
 There are no current SSAR comments for this taxon.

(,   Museum Voucher) (,   Observation) (,   Literature Record), (,   Citizen Science), (  Fossil)
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Occurrences:; 104 Total; 96 Museum; 8 Other
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Province/State Distribution:
United States: California

Taxonomic Etymology:
Named in honor of a field herpetologist.
Coleonyx — From Greek koleos (κολεός), “sheath,” and onyx (ὄνυξ), “claw.” The name means “sheathed claw,” likely referring to the gecko’s retractile or sheathed claw structure.
switaki — Named for: Karl-Heinz Switak (1936), a German-American herpetologist and reptile photographer in recognition of his extensive field collecting, especially in Baja California and Mexico, and his support for herpetological research. Latinized genitive form of “Switak” → “switaki” = “of Switak”.

First instance(s) of published English names:
No historic English names have been assigned to this taxon yet.

Taxon Links:

  
Catalog of American Amphibians and Reptiles
  
The Reptile Database
  
NatureServe
  
iNaturalist
  
GenBank
  
USGS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database

Selected References:
1962 Kluge, Arnold G. Comparative osteology of the Eublepharid lizard genus Coleonyx Gray. Journal of Morphology 110:299-332
1970 Dixon, James R. Coleonyx.. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (95):1-2
1974 Murphy, Robert W. A new genus and species of eublepharine gecko (Sauria: Gekkonidae) from Baja California, Mexico. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 40:87-92
1975 Kluge, Arnold G. Phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary trends in the Eublepharine lizard genus Coleonyx. Copeia 1975(1):24-35
1982 Fritts, Thomas H., H. L. Snell, and R. L. Martin. Anarbylus switaki Murphy: An addition to the herpetofauna of the United States with comments on relationships with Coleonyx. Journal of Herpetology 16(1):39-52
1983 Grismer, L. Lee. A reevaluation of the North American gekkonid genus Anarbylus Murphy and its cladistic relationships to Coleonyx Gray. Herpetologica 39(4):394-399
1990 Grismer, L. Lee. Coleonyx switaki. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (464):1-2
1994 Dial, Benjamin E. and L. Lee Grismer. Phylogeny and physiology: Evolution of lizards in the genus Coleonyx. Pages 239-254 in Herpetology of the North American Deserts. Southwestern Herpetologists Society, Van Nuys, California. pp.

THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY — Accessed: Tuesday 28 July 2026 16:41 CT