This is N. asper, recognized by name rather than appearance
Australia! A veritable land of geckos! But from among this plethora of hobbyist favorites, one group, those of the genus Nephrurus, stands out, or at least once stood out, by the presence of knobs tipping the shortened and/or fattened tails. But now, with its inclusion to the genus by Aaron Bauer, the old Underwoodisaurus millii, a species with a comparatively fat but long tail that bears no visible tipping knob, has become a member of the knobbed cluster. It is N. millii. All are capable of vocalizations.

But this blog post is about only 2 members of the genus whose tails differ from the rest but that are themselves of confusingly similar appearance. These two, the Queensland Rough Knob-tail, Nephrurus asper and the Centralian Rough Knob-tail, N. amyae have, by far, the shortest tails in the genus. The former inhabits much of Queensland, from the Cape York Peninsula southward and the latter ranges over much of central Australia including Northern Territory and extreme eastern Western Australia. Both are associated with ledges, rocks, and arid soils.but in eastern Queensland N. asper may be found to range into areas a little moister than the norm. There it seems associated with creviced, rocky, ledges.

These 2 species are so similar that unless their geographic range is known you will have difficulty determining which is which. The species name asper relates to the rough-skin of these geckos, while amyae is a patronym. Although both are “sand” colored, of the 2, N. amyae, beings associated with red sand areas in Australia, is often the redder while N. asper tends to vary from sand tan to pale brown. Both have faint darker crossbands with the nuchal (neck) band being the most prominent. Dorsally and laterally these two geckos have spiny scales encircled by somewhat enlarged smoother scales.


Both species are hardy captives, feeding well on insects and pill-bugs. They will drink water droplets from the sides of the terrarium or from their own scales when gently sprayed. They may not recognize a shallow dish as a water source. Both species are adult at a svl of 4 ½ to just over 5 inches with the Centralian being slightly the larger and the very short tail adding a few fractions of an inch. They are, like many geckos, terrestrial, lack expanded digital laminae, fully capable of burrowing in suitable soils, and are oviparous.

An adult Cuban Crocodile. This species is not inclined to have a gentle disposition.
This Island Nation (archipelago) has always intrigued me. ‘Way back in the 1950s I had contemplated a visit to Cuba, but politics prevented a visit. And although politics still play an important role in a visit to Cuba, it is now at least possible. These reminiscences are about Patti’s and my trip number 3, from Havana westward to Soroa and Vinales and then southward to the Cienega Zapata, the home of the fabled Cuban Crocodile.

Cuba’s herpetofauna (and endemic birds) are very different from species found only 90 miles northward on the Florida peninsula and keys. Amongst the herpetofauna, for example, there are no seriously venomous species, although several snake taxa are rear-fanged and produce a venom of “mild” toxicity that assists in overpowering prey. Among the constrictors are the big Cuban Boa and a number of “Tropes” that were until recently considered dwarfed members of the boid family. Simply put, if you exclude the Cuban species of anoles and a treefrog now established in Florida, no matter where we stopped to search, any herps found would be distinctly different from those found only 90 miles distant in the Florida Keys. Now onto the air conditioned tour bus, and driver, Ronel, had us on our way in mere minutes.