Strophurus


Strophurus is a genus of lizards in the family Diplodactylidae. All species of Strophurus are endemic to Australia, and are sometimes given the common names phasmid geckos, spiny-tailed geckos, and striped geckos.

Description

The species of the genus Strophurus attain total lengths of . The scales of the body are generally small and round, sometimes interspersed with enlarged scales and soft spines.
All members of this genus have the unique defence, the ability to squirt a harmless, foul-smelling fluid from their tails, which can create a highly flammable substance when mixed with ammonia. This fluid is used to deter birds while they are perching in shrubbery, being unusual in the family by exposing themselves during the day. As with many other geckos, they are also nocturnal. Some members lack spines and enlarged scales, while another subgroup features spines on the tail and other parts of the body.
Their habitat is amongst shrubs and hummock grass, but they occasionally move to the ground for warmth or to mate. This behavior is especially prominent in pregnant female, which use the additional warmth of rocks and roads to assist development of the two eggs they carry.

Species

There are 20 species of Strophurus, and a number of subspecies.
ImageScientific nameCommon nameDistribution
Strophurus assimilis Australia
Strophurus ciliaris northern spiny-tailed geckoAustralia
Strophurus congoo Vanderduys, 2016Congoo geckoAustralia
Strophurus elderi jewelled geckoAustralia
Strophurus horneri Arnhem phasmid geckoAustralia
Strophurus intermedius eastern spiny-tailed gecko, southern spiny-tailed geckoAustralia NSW, NT, SA, Vic and WA
Strophurus jeanae southern phasmid geckoAustralia
Strophurus krisalys Australia
Strophurus mcmillani McMillan's spiny-tailed gecko, short-tailed striped geckoAustralia
Strophurus michaelseni robust striped geckoAustralia
Strophurus rankini Exmouth spiny-tailed geckoAustralia
Strophurus robinsoni Australia
Strophurus spinigerus soft spiny-tailed gecko, south-western spiny-tailed geckoAustralia
Strophurus strophurus western spiny-tailed geckoAustralia
Strophurus taeniatus phasmid striped gecko, white-striped geckoAustralia
Strophurus taenicauda golden spiny-tailed gecko, golden-tailed geckoAustralia
Strophurus trux Vanderduys, 2017golden-eyed geckoAustralia
Strophurus wellingtonae Western Shield spiny-tailed gecko, Wellington's spiny-tailed geckoAustralia
Strophurus williamsi eastern spiny-tailed gecko, soft-spined geckoAustralia
Strophurus wilsoni Mount Augustus spiny-tailed gecko, Mount Augustus striped geckoAustralia

Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Strophurus.