General Distribution
The leaf-toed gecko mainly occurs on rocky hillsides and canyons in desert habitats,
marginally in mixed chaparral. It occurs from Seven-level Hill near Palm Desert, Riverside
Co., south through the Anza-Borrego desert to Baja California. It may be locally abundant in
rocky areas of the foothills and canyons of the Borrego Desert, San Diego Co. (Dixon 1964,
1969). Habitat Requirements
During the day, lizards may be found in crevices between boulders or beneath
exfoliating slabs of granite. Occasionally, individuals are found near water under the bark of
palo verde, prickly pear, and mesquite (Dixon 1964). Geckos are excellent climbers.
Adherent toe-pads allow rapid movement on steep faces and undersides of rocks (Stebbins
1954, Dixon 1964). Reproduction
Stebbins (1954) found gravid females in Baja California almost ready to lay
eggs in May and June. In California, young emerge in June and are found through August
(Dixon 1964). Clutch size is 1-2 eggs. Daily/Seasonal Activity
Nocturnal. Hibernates from late October to mid-March (Dixon 1964). Diet and Foraging
Leaf-toed geckos feed on beetles, spiders, moths, flies, termites, ants, and
occasionally insect larvae. Foraging occurs on the surface of rocks (Dixon 1964). Territoriality/Home Range
No data available. Predator-Prey Relations
Nocturnal rock- or crevice-dwelling snakes are probable predators. Literature Cited
Dixon, J. R. 1964. The systematics and distribution of lizards of the genus Phyllodactylus
in North and Central America. New Mexico State Univ. Sci. Bull. 64:1-139.
Dixon, J. R. 1969. Phyllodactylus xanti. Cat. Am. Amphibians and Reptiles 79.1-79.2.
Leviton, A. E. 1971. Reptiles and amphibians of North America. Doubleday and Co., New
York. 250pp.
Shaw, C. E. 1950. The lizards of San Diego County with descriptions and key. Bull. Zool.
Soc. San Diego 25:1-100.
Smith, H. M. 1946. Handbook of lizards. Lizards of the United States and of Canada.
Comstock Publ. Co., New York. 557pp.
Stebbins, R. C. 1954. Amphibians and reptiles of western North America. McGraw-Hill,
New York. 536pp.
Stebbins, R. C. 1985. A field guide to western reptiles and amphibians. 2nd ed., revised.
Houghton Mifflin, Boston. 336pp.
Stephens, F. 1921. Phyllodactylus in California. Copeia 1921:16.
Taylor, E. H. 1942. Some geckoes of the genus Phyllodactylus. Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull.
28:91-112.
Information gathered from California DFG - California Interagency Wildlife Task Group
