The original illustration and descriptions of Phyllurus milii Bory de Saint Vincent, 1823 are most likely to be based on Nephrurus levis occidentalis Storr, 1963, not the species to which the name milii has been consistently applied for nearly 180 years. In the absence of types, a neotype (WAM R34085) is designated, representing the species to which the name milii has been applied by all subsequent authors, both for this species and Gekko dorrensis Peran, 1807. The senior name is identified as a nomen oblitum, and the junior name a nomen protectum, stabilising nomenclature of this species. The Thick-tailed or Barking Gecko, Nephurus milii (Bory de Saint-Vincent, 1823) is a widespread, large and readily identifiable species of southern Australia. Although the generic name has been subject to some debate, the species having been variously assigned to the genera or subgenera Phyllurus (e.g., Bory de Saint-Vincent, Kluge, 1991/ 1993), the species name has been consistently applied since 1823, although variously misspelt on occasion as nihi, miliusii, myliusii, milhus or milusii (see Bauer and Henle, 1994). Since 1934 (Loveridge, 1934), the specific epithet has mostly been correctly spelt. The species was named for Lieutenant-commander (later Baron) Pierre-Bemard Milius of Bordeaux, second-in-eommand of the corvette Naturaliste, one of two original ships of the French Baudin Expedition of 1800-1804 to Australian waters, with Bory de Saint-Vincent himself, also of Bordeaux, being one of two zoologists on the same ship (Comell, 1974). Bory de Saint-Vincent (1825, 1828) credited Milius with the discovery of the species, and for providing the colour plate drawn from life which accompanies the description. There is no evidence that Milius visited Australia, and more specifically the type locality (see below), other than with the Baudin Expedition. Bory de Saint-Vincent's description of this species was published in a popular encyclopedia of natural history several years after the premature death of Francois Peron (zoologist on the other ship of the Expedition, the Geographe) who had been preparing the zoological results of the Expedition for publication. The name appears three times in the encyclopedia, with a text account in volume 7 (Bory de Saint-Vincent, 1825: 183-184), another account in volume 13 (Bory de Saint-Vincent, 1828: 464-465), and a plate in the atlas, numbered the last volume in the series. Brygoo (1991) stated that the plate, although included in a volume with a title page date of 1831, was actually published as the first livraison of this volume in July 1823. Consequently, the plate validates the name, which must be regarded as published in 1823/ with the illustrated specimen the holotype. Two large gecko species of similar proportions co-exist in the Shark Bay region, including both Bemier and Dorre Islands: Nephrurus milii and Nephrurus levis occidentalis Storr, 1963 (Storr and Harold, 1978). As no type material can be identified (see below), the identity of the gecko named by Bory de Saint-Vincent must be based on his description and the accompanying plate, and primarily on the latter. Bory de Saint-Vincent (1825) stated: PHYLLURE DE MILIUS, Phyllurus Milii, N. (V. pI. de ce Dict.) Notre ancien et illustre ami le capitaine de vaisseau Milius, ci-devant gouvemeur de Mascareigne, maintenant charge du bonheur de la Guiane fran<;aise, a decouvert cette espece dans l'Australasie sur les rives de la baie des Chiens-Marins; nous lui en devons la figure et la description. Plus petite que la precedente, mais proportionellement plus haute sur jambes, sa h?te est obtuse, sa couleur d'un rouge de brique en dessus, qui ne permit que difficilement de la distinguer sur la terre rougeatre OU elle se tenait.