NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Eastern Spiny-tailed Gecko
Strophurus williamsi (Kluge, 1963)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Strophurus williamsi
BSanders99 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
Strophurus williamsi, also known commonly as the eastern spiny-tailed gecko, the soft-spined gecko, and Williams' spiny-tailed gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Diplodactylidae. The species is endemic to semi-arid regions of eastern Australia including Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. It has become a popular species as a pet for its distinctive tail features. S. williamsi has been grouped within a clade of seven other species that are believed to have diverged from their ancestors around 20 million years ago. S. williamsi can be distinguished from closer relatives by arboreality (living in trees) and diurnal (day-active) activity.
Wikipedia contributors, Strophurus williamsi; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T11:37:41.751664+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Strophurus williamsi (Kluge, 1963)
- Name authority
- (Kluge, 1963)
- Common name
- Eastern Spiny-tailed Gecko
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Diplodactylidae
- Genus
- Strophurus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
- suborderGekkota
- familyDiplodactylidae
- genusStrophurus
- speciesStrophurus williamsi (Kluge, 1963)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Strophurus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Spiny-tailed GeckoStrophurus ciliaris (Boulenger, 1885) | DiplodactylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Arnhem Phasmid GeckoStrophurus horneri Oliver & Parkin, 2014 | DiplodactylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Eastern Spiny-tailed GeckoStrophurus intermedius (Ogilby, 1892) | DiplodactylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Southern Phasmid GeckoStrophurus jeanae (Storr, 1988) | DiplodactylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Robust Striped GeckoStrophurus michaelseni (Werner, 1910) | DiplodactylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Exmouth Spiny-tailed GeckoStrophurus rankini (Storr, 1979) | DiplodactylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Soft Spiny-tailed GeckoStrophurus spinigerus (Gray, 1842) | DiplodactylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Phasmid Striped GeckoStrophurus taeniatus (Lönnberg & Andersson, 1913) | DiplodactylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Golden-eyed geckoStrophurus trux Vanderduys, 2017 | DiplodactylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Goldfields Spiny-tailed GeckoStrophurus assimilis (Storr, 1988) | DiplodactylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Jewelled GeckoStrophurus elderi (Stirling & Zietz, 1893) | DiplodactylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Strophurus krisalys Sadlier, 2005 | DiplodactylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Diplodactylus williamsi Kluge, 1963 Kluge, 1963 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Strophurus&species=williamsi Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:53656. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.