title: Switak's banded gecko
text: # Switak's banded gecko
  
  Switak's banded gecko (Coleonyx switaki), also commonly known as the barefoot banded gecko, the barefoot gecko, and Switak's barefoot gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Eublepharidae. The species is indigenous to the extreme southwestern United States and adjacent northwestern Mexico.
  
  ## Etymology
  
  The specific name, switaki, is in honor of German herpetologist Karl-Heinz Switak (born 1938).
  
  ## Geographic range
  
  C. switaki is native to southern California in the United States and Baja California and Baja California Sur in Mexico.
  
  ## Habitat
  
  The preferred natural habitats of C. switaki are desert and rocky areas.
  
  ## Taxonomy
  
  Coleonyx gypsicolus, which is endemic to Isla San Marcos in Mexico, is sometimes considered a subspecies of C. switaki.
  
  ## Description
  
  C. switaki reaches a snout-to-vent length of 5.1–8.6 centimetres (2.0–3.4 in). The body of C. switaki is covered in round brown spots. Despite one of its common names, Switak's banded gecko, C. switaki has a variable color pattern that may not feature bands.
  
  ## Reproduction
  
  C. switaki is oviparous.
  
  