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 spec ...

elderi'', also known commonly as the jewelled gecko, is a

terrestrial Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth. Terrestrial may also refer to: * Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on or near the ground, as opposed to ...

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 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 ...

gecko Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from . Geckos ar ...

, a

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 Diplodactylidae are a family in the suborder Gekkota (geckos), with over 150 species in 25 genera. These geckos occur in Australia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia. Diplodactylids are the most ecologically diverse and widespread family of geck ...

. Previously classified within the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

Diplodactylus ''Diplodactylus'' is a genus of geckos of the family Diplodactylidae from Australia. They are sometimes called stone geckos or fat-tailed geckos. Member species are morphologically similar but genetically distinct. Species The following 27 specie ...

'', ''S. elderi'' is one of 22 geckos belonging to the genus ''

''. 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 the arid regions of central and north-western

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Etymology

The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

, ''elderi'', is in honor of Scottish-Australian philanthropist

Thomas Elder Sir Thomas Elder, (5 August 1818 – 6 March 1897), was a Scottish-Australian pastoralist, highly successful businessman, philanthropist, politician, race-horse owner and breeder, and public figure. Amongst many other things, he is notable fo ...

. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Strophurus elderi'', p. 82).

Description

Soft-bodied, with pentadactyle limbs (meaning five digits on each extremity), ''S. elderi'' is a moderately sized lizard from the Geckkonidae family – measuring 65-75mm or 45mm from snout to vent. The tail is fleshy and moderate, equating to 55% of the snout-vent length. Dorsal colours are dark brown to velvety grey with scattered dark-edged white spots corresponding to enlarged

tubercules In anatomy, a tubercle (literally 'small tuber', Latin for 'lump') is any round nodule, small eminence, or warty outgrowth found on external or internal organs of a plant or an animal. In plants A tubercle is generally a wart-like projection ...

(rosette of scales with an enlarged central scale). The ventral colouring is dirty white with darker and paler flecks and spots. Eyes are brown-grey with a vertical slit and are covered by a transparent convex disc which is cleaned and moistened regularly using their broad, fleshy mobile tongue. The eye cover is shed periodically along with the outer skin layer. Digits feature tiny retractile claws which sit within a groove between distal lamellae. The subdigital pads are expanded and specially modified to grip the slender (<1 cm in diameter), spiny foliage of spinifex grass ('' triodia sp''.). ''S.elderi'' is distinguishable from other S''trophurus'' species due to a lack precloacal pores, caudal ornamentation and bright oral mucosa. Jewelled Gecko (Strophurus elderi) (9388252015)

Jewelled Gecko (Strophurus elderi) (9388252015)

Defence Strategies

''S. elderi''’s spotted colour pattern is thought to be a mechanism for

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the ...

within spinifex clumps. Like other members of the geckkonidae family, ''S. elderi'' is autotomous, meaning that it can self-amputate its tail when grasped by a predatory agent. However, they do this with a lower frequency when compared with other gecko species, which may be due to increased functionality. As a member of the ''Strophurus'' genus, ''S. elderi'' possesses paired, mid-dorsal glands running the tail length, which forcibly eject a viscous, highly adhesive, slightly malodorous liquid up to 50 cm towards antagonists.

Geographic range

''S. elderi'' is present in many Australian arid regions including states and territories 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 ...

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 ...

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_ ...

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

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 ...

. ''S. elderi'' is found within spinifex-dominated landscapes, on red sandy plains, sandy dunes and occasionally on stony hills. In addition, spinifex often occurs in association with Hummock grasslands, Mallee and Acacia

woodlands Woodlands may back refer to: * Woodland, a low-density forest Geography Australia * Woodlands, New South Wales * Woodlands, Ashgrove, Queensland, a heritage-listed house associated with John Henry Pepper * Woodlands, Marburg, Queensland, a her ...

and

shrublands Spring Park is a small area in London, England. It is within the London Borough of Bromley and the London Borough of Croydon, straddling the traditional Kent-Surrey border along The Beck. Spring Park is located north of Addington, west of West ...

Ecology and Habitat

Jewelled Gecko (Strophurus elderi) (9388225179)

''S. elderi'' is a graminicolous (grass-dwelling) species and lives and forages almost exclusively within spinifex ('' Triodia sp.'') hummocks. Spinifex provides an ideal microclimatic niche by providing shelter and protection from predators. Spinifex occurs as a low, dense hemispherical dome, less than tall, that expands outwards from the centre to form rings; as leaf growth continues, the centre dies off to form a dense matted mound of needle-sharp spines. Spinifex remains significantly cooler than the surrounding bare ground, and its robust and binding root structure provides an ideal burrowing substrate. As a

species, ''S. elderi'' takes refuge within or underneath spinifex hummocks during the day and forages within and around spinifex at night. ''S. elderi'' perches at a lower height than many ''Strophurus'' species and will wait in ambush at above the ground. ''S. elderi'' is

insectivorous A robber fly eating a hoverfly An insectivore is a carnivorous animal or plant that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which can also refer to the human practice of eating insects. The first vertebrate insectivores were ...

, eating a variety of small

invertebrates Invertebrates are a paraphyletic group of animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''backbone'' or ''spine''), derived from the notochord. This is a grouping including all animals apart from the chordate ...

such as small crickets, caterpillars, grubs, termites, spiders, cockroaches and moths. Strophurus elderi Jewelled gecko

Reproduction

''S. elderi'' is

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 ...

meaning that the species produces eggs that hatch outside the body. Females lay eggs in a clutch of two, and more than one clutch may be produced in a season.

Threats

''S. elderi'' was listed as vulnerable under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act on 25 October 2004. The species is classified as the least concern under the IUCN. ''S. elderi'' is currently threatened by habitat loss and destruction due to clearance, changes to grazing regimes, alterations in fire frequency and intensity, and predation by feral animals such as cats and foxes. One known predator is

Burton's Legless Lizard Burton's legless lizard (''Lialis burtonis'') is a species of lizard in the family Pygopodidae. The species lacks forelegs and has only rudimentary hind legs. Pygopodid lizards are also referred to as "legless lizards",Bradshaw SD, Gans C, Giro ...

, or ''

Lialis burtonis Burton's legless lizard (''Lialis burtonis'') is a species of lizard in the Family (biology), family Pygopodidae. The species lacks forelegs and has only rudimentary hind legs. Pygopodid lizards are also referred to as "legless lizards",Bradshaw ...

''.