The northern spiny-tailed gecko (''Strophurus ciliaris'') is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Diplodactylidae. The species is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to Australia.

Etymology

The meaning of the scientific name or binomial, ''Strophurus ciliaris'', comes from ''strophurus'' meaning "turning-tail" and ''ciliaris'' meaning "eyelashed", referring to the spines above the eyes.

Description

''S. ciliaris'' is highly variable in colour. This species can vary from a uniform grey colour, with few black or orange scales, to rich brown, with a mottled pattern of grey, white, and orange scales. Spines are present along the tail, and long spines are generally present above the eyes, giving the impression of being eye-lashed.Wilson S, Swan G (2008). ''A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia''. Chatswood: New Holland Publishers. The average length for a member of this species is . Females are known to be significantly larger than males.

Reproduction

''S. ciliaris'' an

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), and ...

species that has a

clutch A clutch is a mechanical device that engages and disengages power transmission, especially from a drive shaft to a driven shaft. In the simplest application, clutches connect and disconnect two rotating shafts (drive shafts or line shafts). ...

size of two.

Defence

Members of the genus ''Strophurus'' have the ability to squirt a harmless, smelly, fluid from their tails. This is used as a deterrent for birds and other predations whilst they are perching in shrubs. Another defence mechanism that ''S. ciliaris'' has is bright palate colour.Michael D (2013, October). ''Strophurus ciliaris''. (S. Van Den Akker, Interviewer).

Behaviour and habitat

The northern spiny-tailed gecko is generally a

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

species but can be found basking during the day. It is an arboreal species which occurs in arid, semi-arid, and subtropical

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s in

shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity. It m ...

.Swan G, Foster R (2005). "The reptiles and amphibians of Mutawintji National Park, Western New South Wales". ''Australian Zoologist'' 33 (1): 39-48. It can also be commonly found in clumps of spinifex.

Conservation status

''S. ciliaris'' is currently listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. This is due to its large distribution, unrestricted habitat preferences, and the limited number of threats facing this species.

Diet

Little is known about the diet of this ''S. ciliaris''. However, similar to other members of the gecko families, its diet includes

arthropod Arthropods (, (gen. ποδός)) are invertebrate animals with an exoskeleton, a Segmentation (biology), segmented body, and paired jointed appendages. Arthropods form the phylum Arthropoda. They are distinguished by their jointed limbs and Arth ...

s. It has been observed licking the exudes of

wattle Wattle or wattles may refer to: Plants *''Acacia sensu lato'', polyphyletic genus of plants commonly known as wattle, especially in Australia and South Africa **''Acacia'', large genus of shrubs and trees, native to Australasia **Black wattle, c ...

sap.

Geographic range

The northern spiny-tailed gecko occurs in the interior of Australia, and its range extends from the northwest region of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and western

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

through to

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

and the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

, and then stretches into

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. Horner P, Hutchinson M (2010). "''Strophurus ciliaris'' ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.1. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 6 October 2013. Of the recorded occurrences of this species, 48 percent have been recorded in the Northern Territory, 31.2 percent in Western Australia, 10.9 percent in South Australia, and the remaining across New South Wales and Queensland. There have been no recorded occurrences of this species in Victoria.The Atlas of Living Australia. (2013). ''Strophurus ciliaris'' (Boulenger, 1885). Retrieved from http://bie.ala.org.au/species/Strophurus+ciliaris#

Subspecies

''S. ciliaris'' has one desert form and one tropical form. There are two

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

, ''Strophurus ciliaris ciliaris'' and ''Strophurus ciliaris aberrans''.

Threats

Habitat degradation is a threat to the northern spiny-tailed gecko. A large amount of this species' habitat has been lost or heavily degraded by land clearing and feral invasive species including goats. Habitat degradation and loss should not be considered a major threat at this time due to the wide distribution and a large amount of suitable habitat that remains.