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Eastern Spiny-tailed Gecko
Strophurus williamsi
Native to eastern Australia, the eastern spiny-tailed gecko inhabits dry scrublands. It is nocturnal and specialized for defense, needing a vertical enclosure with thin climbing branches.
Class:Squamata
Order:Squamata
Family:Diplodactylidae
Genus:Strophurus
Species:Strophurus williamsi
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
30 - 50 %
Day temperature
24 - 28 °C
Ambient temperature
26 °C
Night temperature
18 - 20 °C
Basking spot
32 - 34 °C
Adult size
7 cm
Minimum enclosure
>= 45 L
UVB
Medium
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Native to eastern Australia, spanning parts of Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria. It inhabits dry sclerophyll forests, acacia scrublands (particularly brigalow), and semi-arid shrublands.
Taxonomy and Genetics: Belongs to the family Diplodactylidae, genus Strophurus. The genus is highly specialized for defensive chemical exudate production in caudal glands.
Behavior and Habits: Nocturnal and arboreal, but frequently basks during the day on thin branches. Possesses specialized tail glands that can squirt a sticky, foul-smelling fluid to deter predators when threatened.
Morphology: Reaches a total length of about 11-13 cm (4.5-5 inches). Features a blue-grey body color with black mottling resembling lichen or bark. The eyes have vertical pupils and a brilliant orange or yellow outer ring.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: Vertical enclosure required (minimum 45x45x60 cm / 18x18x24 inches for a pair). Furnish with numerous thin climbing branches, vines, and narrow-leafed plants. Use a dry sand-soil mixture as substrate.
Lighting and Heating: Provide a basking branch at 32-34°C (90-93°F), with ambient daytime temperatures of 26-28°C (79-82°F) and night drops to 18-20°C (64-68°F). Low-output UVB (5%) is highly recommended.
Humidity and Hydration: Moderate daytime humidity (40-50%) rising to 70-80% at night via light misting. Spraying thin branches at night allows them to drink droplets, which is their primary hydration source.
Feeding and Supplementation: Strictly insectivorous. Feed small crickets, roaches, and flies. Dust prey with calcium and vitamin D3 twice a week.
Compatibility: Males are territorial and should not be housed together. Keep individually, in pairs, or in small harems consisting of one male and two females.
Health and Common Diseases: Prone to calcium deficiencies (MBD) without proper supplementation and UVB. Excessive humidity combined with poor ventilation leads to skin rot and respiratory infections.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Native to eastern Australia, spanning parts of Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria. It inhabits dry sclerophyll forests, acacia scrublands (particularly brigalow), and semi-arid shrublands.
Origin
Australia, New Guinea, and Oceania
Reptile profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 7 cm
- Lifestyle/Microhabitat
- No verified data available
- Activity cycle
- No verified data available
- Sociality
- No verified data available
- Reproduction
- No verified data available
- Handling tolerance
- No verified data available
- Brumation
- No verified data available
- Molting
- No verified data available
The catalog's scalar value is 7 cm. The ReptTraits v1.2 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 7 cm for this species, recorded as snout–vent length (SVL). These figures are not interchangeable: the first is the profile's editorial reference, whereas the second is a published maximum under a specific measurement convention; differences among sources can reflect sex, population, life stage and measuring method.
Image gallery
Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.
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