Abstract
A population of Coleonyx variegatus was studied during 1965-66 at a low-altitude Sonoran Desert mountain range. Seasonal activity extended from April through October, with intermittent activity during winter months. Mean distances between capture points ranged from 10.9 m for immature males to 43.7 m for immature females. Frequency of broken or regenerated tails was positively correlated with body length; in the largest size group 74.1 % were broken. Growth rates varied from 9.7 mm/month in immature lizards to no discernible growth for large adults. Gravid females were found from April through September, occurring most frequently in May and June. Two or more clutches of two eggs each are produced annually. Males had enlarged testes from April through August. Hatchlings appeared from July through November. Many individuals of both sexes reached sexual maturity when less than 1 year old, but some did not mature until their 2nd year. Males were captured more frequently than females from January through May, perhaps indicating more extensive wanderings. An estimated 66% of the population was reproductive in May, the height of the breeding season. Among five study areas, abundance was highest on a S-facing slope. Population density in one area was estimated to be 12-25 geckos/ha. INTRODUCTION The lizard subfamily Eublepharinae (family Gekkonidae) contains five genera: Aeluroscalabates Gunther, an arboreal forest gecko found in Indonesia; Eublepharis Gray, a terrestrial desert genus occurring in southwestern Asia, Hainan and Loo-Choo islands; Hemitheconyx Stejneger and Holodactylus Boettger, ground-dwelling desert genera found in West Africa and Somaliland; and Coleonyx Gray, a terrestrial genus distributed from southwestern United States to Central America (Kluge, 1967). Kluge (1962) divided Coleonyx into northern (brevis and variegatus) and southern (elegans and mitratus) species groups. Little is known of the life history of any eublepharine gecko. Inger and Greenberg (1966) described aspects of reproduction of Aeluroscalabates felinus in Borneo, but knowledge of the other Old World genera is restricted to a few scattered observations. Coleonyx has been the most intensively studied genus in the subfamily, but most published life history data are based on captive individuals of C. variegatus or miscellaneous field observations. Dixon (1970a, b, c) listed pertinent literature for Coteonyx, C. brevis and C. variegatus. In spite of the long reference list for eublepharine geckos, there has been no population study of any species; life histories of all members of the subfamily remain relatively unknown. A field study of the western banded gecko (Coleonyx variegatus Baird) was conducted at Phoenix South Mountain Park, Maricopa Co., Ariz., during 1965-66. Turner (1962), Williams (1968, 1970) and Hadley (1970) studied arthropods in the same general vicinity.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
