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 (including tail) 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 a unique defense mechanism: 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 females, which use the additional warmth of rocks and roads to assist the development of the two eggs they carry.
Species There are 21 known species of Strophurus,. www.reptile-database-org. and a number of subspecies. Image Scientific name Common name Distribution Strophurus assimilis Goldfields spiny-tailed gecko Australia Strophurus ciliaris Northern spiny-tailed geckoAustralia Strophurus congoo Congoo geckoAustralia: North QLD 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 gecko Australia Strophurus michaelseni Robust striped gecko Australia Strophurus rankini Exmouth spiny-tailed geckoAustralia Strophurus robinsoni Australia Strophurus spinigerus Soft spiny-tailed gecko, south-western spiny-tailed geckoAustraliaStrophurus spinula Lesser thorn-tailed geckoAustralia: WA 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 Golden-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.
References
Further reading Fitzinger L (1843). Systema Reptilium, Fasciculus Primus, Amblyglossae. Vienna: Braumüller & Seidel. 106 pp. + indices. (Strophurus, new genus, p. 96). (in Latin). Nielsen SV, Oliver PM, Laver RJ, Bauer AM, Noonan BP (2016). "Stripes, jewels and spines: further investigations into the evolution of defensive strategies in a chemically defended gecko radiation (Strophurus, Diplodactylidae)". Zoologica Scripta 45 (5): 481-493.
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