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Arnold P, Janiszewska K, Li Q, O'Connor JK, Fostowicz-Frelik Ł. The Late Cretaceous eutherian Zalambdalestes reveals unique axis and complex evolution of the mammalian neck. Sci Bull (Beijing) 2024:S2095-9273(24)00261-5. [PMID: 38702276 DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2024.04.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Revised: 03/24/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024]
Abstract
The typical mammalian neck consisting of seven cervical vertebrae (C1-C7) was established by the Late Permian in the cynodont forerunners of modern mammals. This structure is precisely adapted to facilitate movements of the head during feeding, locomotion, predator evasion, and social interactions. Eutheria, the clade including crown placentals, has a fossil record extending back more than 125 million years revealing significant morphological diversification in the Mesozoic. Yet very little is known concerning the early evolution of eutherian cervical morphology and its functional adaptations. A specimen of Zalambdalestes lechei from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia boasts exceptional preservation of an almost complete series of cervical vertebrae (C2-C7) revealing a highly modified axis (C2). The significance of this cervical morphology is explored utilizing an integrated approach combining comparative anatomical examination across mammals, muscle reconstruction, geometric morphometrics and virtual range of motion analysis. We compared the shape of the axis in Zalambdalestes to a dataset of 88 mammalian species (monotremes, marsupials, and placentals) using three-dimensional landmark analysis. The results indicate that the unique axis morphology of Zalambdalestes has no close analog among living mammals. Virtual range of motion analysis of the neck strongly implies Zalambdalestes was capable of exerting very forceful head movements and had a high degree of ventral flexion for an animal its size. These findings reveal unexpected complexity in the early evolution of the eutherian cervical morphology and suggest a feeding behavior similar to insectivores specialized in vermivory and defensive behaviors in Zalambdalestes akin to modern spiniferous mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Arnold
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam D-14476, Germany
| | - Katarzyna Janiszewska
- Environmental Paleobiology Department, Institute of Paleobiology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw 00-818, Poland
| | - Qian Li
- Key Laboratory of Evolutionary Systematics of Vertebrates, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
| | | | - Łucja Fostowicz-Frelik
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, The University of Chicago, Chicago IL 60637, USA; Evolutionary Paleobiology Department, Institute of Paleobiology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw 00-818, Poland.
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Abstract
Abstract
While hypsodonty mostly is associated with medium to large body sizes in sigmodontine rodents, high-crowned molars combined with small bodies rarely are recorded. This latter condition is present in Neomicroxus (Sigmodontinae, incertae sedis), a genus of high-Andean cricetids also characterized by a noticeable set of cranial traits, including enlarged turbinals and rostrum, slanting zygomatic plate, and a marked backward displacement of the vertical ramus of the dentary, linked with an enlargement of the basicranial region. These morphological features, combined with the isolated position of this lineage in molecular-based phylogenies, indicate that Neomicroxus should be situated in a new tribe. We name and describe this Páramo novelty monotypic clade here. As a working hypothesis, the hypsodonty displayed by this group is considered an evolutionary response to continued volcanic ash falls that characterized the region during the Neogene. A reappraisal of tribe recognition within the two cricetid largest subfamilies, arvicolines and sigmodontines, is made, coupled with a discussion about the role of morphological convergence in “long-nose” cricetids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulyses F J Pardiñas
- Instituto de Diversidad y Evolución Austral (IDEAus–CONICET), Boulevard Brown, Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina
- INABIO, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Jenny Curay
- Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INABIO), Rumipamba 341 y Av. de los Shyris, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Jorge Brito
- Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INABIO), Rumipamba 341 y Av. de los Shyris, Quito, Ecuador
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Handika H, Achmadi AS, Esselstyn JA, Rowe KC. Molecular and morphological systematics of the Bunomys division (Rodentia: Muridae), an endemic radiation on Sulawesi. ZOOL SCR 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/zsc.12460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Heru Handika
- Department of Biological Sciences Museum of Natural Science Louisiana State University Baton Rouge LA USA
- Sciences Department Museums Victoria Melbourne VIC Australia
- School of Biosciences University of Melbourne Parkville, Melbourne VIC Australia
| | - Anang S. Achmadi
- Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense Indonesian Institute of Sciences Cibinong Indonesia
| | - Jacob A. Esselstyn
- Department of Biological Sciences Museum of Natural Science Louisiana State University Baton Rouge LA USA
| | - Kevin C. Rowe
- Sciences Department Museums Victoria Melbourne VIC Australia
- School of Biosciences University of Melbourne Parkville, Melbourne VIC Australia
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Rickart EA, Balete DS, Timm RM, Alviola PA, Esselstyn JA, Heaney LR. Two new species of shrew-rats (Rhynchomys: Muridae: Rodentia) from Luzon Island, Philippines. J Mammal 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyz066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The murine genus Rhynchomys includes the large-bodied Philippine “shrew-rats,” highly specialized members of the vermivorous clade of Philippine murids. Four species are recognized, all of which are endemic to Luzon Island: R. soricoides from mountains within the Central Cordillera, R. isarogensis from Mt. Isarog on the Bicol Peninsula, R. banahao from Mt. Banahaw in south-central Luzon, and R. tapulao from Mt. Tapulao in the Zambales Mountains. Field surveys in 2006 and 2008 revealed two additional populations of Rhynchomys, one from Mt. Labo (1,544 m), a dormant stratovolcano at the base of the Bicol Peninsula, the other from Mt. Mingan (1,901 m), the highest peak in the central Sierra Madre of east-central Luzon. Assessment of external and craniodental features of available specimens from throughout Luzon support our description of the populations on Mt. Labo and Mt. Mingan as new species. All species of Rhynchomys are restricted to high-elevation, montane, and mossy forest habitats, separated by intervening lowlands. These discoveries highlight the importance of isolated highland areas in the historical diversification of Southeast Asian murines, and as current centers of endemism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric A Rickart
- Natural History Museum of Utah, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | | | - Robert M Timm
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Phillip A Alviola
- Institute of Biological Sciences, University of the Philippines, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines
| | - Jacob A Esselstyn
- Museum of Natural Science and Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
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Roycroft EJ. Digest: Colonizing rodents overcome ecological incumbency in an island system. Evolution 2019; 73:1496-1497. [PMID: 31131440 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2019] [Accepted: 05/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Do primary radiations inhibit the persistence and diversification of secondary colonizers? Rowsey et al. test predictions of this "incumbency effect" by contrasting patterns of morphological variation in two murine rodent clades on the Philippine island of Luzon. They find that in this system, primary colonizers may impose constraints via biotic filtering, and may also restrict size evolution in secondary colonists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily J Roycroft
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.,Sciences Department, Museums Victoria, Carlton, Victoria, Australia
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillermo D’Elía
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
| | - Pierre-Henri Fabre
- Institut des Sciences de l’Evolution (ISEM, UMR 5554 CNRS-UM2-IRD), Université Montpellier, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Enrique P Lessa
- Departamento de Ecología y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
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Feijó A, Patterson BD, Cordeiro-Estrela P. Taxonomic revision of the long-nosed armadillos, Genus Dasypus Linnaeus, 1758 (Mammalia, Cingulata). PLoS One 2018; 13:e0195084. [PMID: 29624590 PMCID: PMC5889077 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0195084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2017] [Accepted: 02/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Dasypus is the most speciose genus of the order Cingulata, including approximately 40% of known living armadillos. Nine species are currently recognized, although comprehensive analyses of the entire genus have never been done. Our aim is to revise the taxonomy of the long-nosed armadillos and properly define the taxa. We examined 2126 specimens of Dasypus preserved in 39 different museum collections, including 17 type specimens. Three complementary methods were applied to explore morphological datasets both qualitatively and quantitatively. Qualitative morphological variation in discrete characters was assessed by direct observations of specimens. Linear morphometric variation was based on external data and cranial measurements of 887 adult skulls. The shape and size of the skull was abstracted through two-dimensional geometric morphometric analyses of dorsal, lateral and ventral views of respectively 421, 211, and 220 adult specimens. Our results converge on the recognition of eight living species (D. beniensis, D. kappleri, D. mazzai, D. novemcinctus, D. pastasae, D. pilosus, D. sabanicola, and D. septemcinctus), and three subspecies of D. septemcinctus (D. s. septemcinctus, D. s. hybridus, and a new subspecies from Cordoba described here). Information on type material, diagnosis, distribution, and taxonomic comments for each taxon are provided. We designate a lectotype for D. novemcinctus; and a neotype for Loricatus hybridus (= D. septemcinctus hybridus).
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Affiliation(s)
- Anderson Feijó
- Laboratório de mamíferos, Departamento de Sistemática e Ecologia, Centro de Ciências Exatas e da Natureza, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Campus I, João Pessoa, PB, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Zoologia), Departamento de Sistemática e Ecologia, Centro de Ciências Exatas e da Natureza, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Campus I, João Pessoa, PB, Brazil
- Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Bruce D. Patterson
- Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL, United States of America
| | - Pedro Cordeiro-Estrela
- Laboratório de mamíferos, Departamento de Sistemática e Ecologia, Centro de Ciências Exatas e da Natureza, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Campus I, João Pessoa, PB, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Zoologia), Departamento de Sistemática e Ecologia, Centro de Ciências Exatas e da Natureza, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Campus I, João Pessoa, PB, Brazil
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Musser GG, Durden LA. Morphological and Geographic Definitions of the Sulawesian Shrew RatsEchiothrix leucura and E. centrosa(Muridae, Murinae), and Description of a New Species of Sucking Louse (Phthiraptera: Anoplura). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2014. [DOI: 10.1206/871.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Charles C, Solé F, Rodrigues HG, Viriot L. Under pressure? Dental adaptations to termitophagy and vermivory among mammals. Evolution 2013; 67:1792-804. [PMID: 23730770 DOI: 10.1111/evo.12051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2012] [Accepted: 12/19/2012] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
The extant mammals have evolved highly diversified diets associated with many specialized morphologies. Two rare diets, termitophagy and vermivory, are characterized by unusual morphological and dental adaptations that have evolved independently in several clades. Termitophagy is known to be associated with increases in tooth number, crown simplification, enamel loss, and the appearance of intermolar diastemata. We observed similar modifications at the species level in vermivorous clades, although interestingly the vermivorous mammals lack secondarily derived tools that compensate for the dentition's reduced function. We argue that the parallel dental changes in these specialists are the result of relaxed selection on occlusal functions of the dentition, which allow a parallel cascade of changes to occur independently in each clade. Comparison of the phenotypes of Rhynchomys, a vermivorous rat, and strains of mice whose ectodysplasin (EDA) pathway has been mutated revealed several shared dental features. Our results point to the likely involvement of this genetic pathway in the rapid, parallel morphological specializations in termitophagous and vermivorous species. We show that diets or feeding mechanisms in other mammals that are linked to decreased reliance on complex can lead to similar cascades of change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cyril Charles
- Team Evo-Devo of Vertebrate Dentition, Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle de Lyon, Université de Lyon, CNRS UMR 5242, UCBL 1, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, 46 Allée d'Italie, Lyon Cedex 07, France.
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Balete DS, Rickart EA, Heaney LR, Alviola PA, Duya MV, Duya MRM, Sosa T, Jansa SA. Archboldomys(Muridae: Murinae) Reconsidered: A New Genus and Three New Species of Shrew Mice from Luzon Island, Philippines. American Museum Novitates 2012. [DOI: 10.1206/3754.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Abstract
Rodents are important ecological components of virtually every terrestrial ecosystem. Their success is a result of their gnawing incisors, battery of grinding molars and diastema that spatially and functionally separates the incisors from the molars. Until now these traits defined all rodents. Here, we describe a new species and genus of shrew-rat from Sulawesi Island, Indonesia that is distinguished from all other rodents by the absence of cheek teeth. Moreover, rather than gnawing incisors, this animal has bicuspid upper incisors, also unique among the more than 2200 species of rodents. Stomach contents from a single specimen suggest that the species consumes only earthworms. We posit that by specializing on soft-bodied prey, this species has had no need to process food by chewing, allowing its dentition to evolve for the sole purpose of procuring food. Thus, the removal of functional constraints, often considered a source of evolutionary innovations, may also lead to the loss of the very same traits that fuelled evolutionary diversification in the past.
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Esselstyn JA, Evans BJ, Sedlock JL, Anwarali Khan FA, Heaney LR. Single-locus species delimitation: a test of the mixed Yule-coalescent model, with an empirical application to Philippine round-leaf bats. Proc Biol Sci 2012; 279:3678-86. [PMID: 22764163 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2012.0705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 144] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Prospects for a comprehensive inventory of global biodiversity would be greatly improved by automating methods of species delimitation. The general mixed Yule-coalescent (GMYC) was recently proposed as a potential means of increasing the rate of biodiversity exploration. We tested this method with simulated data and applied it to a group of poorly known bats (Hipposideros) from the Philippines. We then used echolocation call characteristics to evaluate the plausibility of species boundaries suggested by GMYC. In our simulations, GMYC performed relatively well (errors in estimated species diversity less than 25%) when the product of the haploid effective population size (N(e)) and speciation rate (SR; per lineage per million years) was less than or equal to 10(5), while interspecific variation in N(e) was twofold or less. However, at higher but also biologically relevant values of N(e) × SR and when N(e) varied tenfold among species, performance was very poor. GMYC analyses of mitochondrial DNA sequences from Philippine Hipposideros suggest actual diversity may be approximately twice the current estimate, and available echolocation call data are mostly consistent with GMYC delimitations. In conclusion, we consider the GMYC model useful under some conditions, but additional information on N(e), SR and/or corroboration from independent character data are needed to allow meaningful interpretation of results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob A Esselstyn
- Biodiversity Institute, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA.
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Sánchez-González LA, Moyle RG. Molecular systematics and species limits in the Philippine fantails (Aves: Rhipidura). Mol Phylogenet Evol 2011; 61:290-9. [PMID: 21722744 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2011.06.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2010] [Revised: 04/29/2011] [Accepted: 06/14/2011] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Islands have long-attracted scientists because of their relatively simple biotas and stark geographic boundaries. However, for many islands and archipelagos, this simplicity may be overstated because of methodological and conceptual limitations when these biotas were described. One archipelago that has received relatively little recent attention is the Philippine islands. Although much of its biota was documented long ago, taxonomic revision and evolutionary study has been surprisingly scarce, and only a few molecular phylogenetic studies are beginning to appear. We present a molecular phylogeny and taxonomic revision for the Philippine fantails (Aves: Rhipidura) using nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences. Our results suggest that current taxonomy underestimates diversity in the group. Some morphologically distinct subspecies warrant species status, whereas one was indistinguishable genetically and morphologically and should not be retained. A few taxa require additional sampling for thorough taxonomic assessment. Patterns of diversity within Philippine Rhipidura mostly corroborate predictions of the Pleistocene aggregate island complex (PAIC) hypothesis, in which diversity is expected to be partitioned by deep water channels separating Pleistocene aggregate islands rather than by current islands. Substantial structure within PAIC clades indicates that additional drivers of diversification should be considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis A Sánchez-González
- Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Institute, Dyche Hall, University of Kansas, 1345 Jayhawk Blvd., Lawrence, KS 66045-7561, USA.
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Heaney LR, Balete DS, Rickart EA, Alviola PA, Duya MRM, Duya MV, Veluz MJ, VandeVrede L, Steppan SJ. Chapter 1: Seven New Species and a New Subgenus of Forest Mice (Rodentia: Muridae: Apomys) from Luzon Island. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011. [DOI: 10.3158/2158-5520-2.1.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Rickart EA, Balete DS, Rowe RJ, Heaney LR. Mammals of the northern Philippines: tolerance for habitat disturbance and resistance to invasive species in an endemic insular fauna. DIVERS DISTRIB 2011. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1472-4642.2011.00758.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
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Gursky S, Salibay C, Cuevas C. Population Survey of the Philippine Tarsier (Tarsius syrichta) in Corella, Bohol. Folia Primatol (Basel) 2011; 82:189-96. [DOI: 10.1159/000332594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2010] [Accepted: 08/30/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Rickart EA, Heaney LR, Balete DS, Tabaranza BR. Small mammal diversity along an elevational gradient in northern Luzon, Philippines. Mamm Biol 2011; 76:12-21. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mambio.2010.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Balete DS, Heaney LR, Rickart EA, Quidlat RS, Ibanez JC. A new species of Batomys (Mammalia: Muridae) from eastern Mindanao Island, Philippines. P BIOL SOC WASH 2008. [DOI: 10.2988/07-47.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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Helgen KM, Lim NTL, Helgen LE. The hog-badger is not an edentate: systematics and evolution of the genus Arctonyx (Mammalia: Mustelidae). Zool J Linn Soc 2008; 154:353-385. [PMID: 32287392 PMCID: PMC7107037 DOI: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2008.00416.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2007] [Accepted: 09/27/2007] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Hog-badgers (mustelid carnivorans classified in the genus Arctonyx) are distributed throughout East and Southeast Asia, including much of China, the eastern Indian Subcontinent, Indochina and the large continental Asian island of Sumatra. Arctonyx is usually regarded as monotypic, comprising the single species A. collaris F. Cuvier, 1825, but taxonomic boundaries in the genus have never been revised on the basis of sizeable series from throughout this geographical range. Based on a review of most available specimens in world museums, we recognize three distinctive species within the genus, based on craniometric analyses, qualitative craniodental features, external comparisons, and geographical and ecological considerations. Arctonyx albogularis (Blyth, 1853) is a shaggy-coated, medium-sized badger widely distributed in temperate Asia, from Tibet and the Himalayan region to eastern and southern China. Arctonyx collaris F. Cuvier, 1825, is an extremely large, shorter-haired badger, distributed throughout Southeast Asia, from eastern India to Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. The world's largest extant badger, A. collaris co-occurs with A. albogularis in eastern India and probably in southern China, and fossil comparisons indicate that its geographical range may have extended into central China in the middle Pleistocene. The disjunctly distributed species Arctonyx hoevenii (Hubrecht, 1891), originally described within the order ‘Edentata’ by a remarkable misunderstanding, is the smallest and darkest member of the genus and is endemic to the Barisan mountain chain of Sumatra. Apart from A. hoevenii, no other Arctonyx occurs on the Sunda Shelf below peninsular Thailand. The natural history of each species of Arctonyx, so far as is known, is briefly reviewed. No claim to original US Government works.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristofer M Helgen
- Division of Mammals, National Museum of Natural History, MRC 108 NHB 390, PO Box 37012, Washington, DC, 20013-7012, USA.,Division of Vertebrate Zoology (Mammalogy), American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, Division of Environmental and Life Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia
| | - Norman T-L Lim
- Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore, Block S6, Level 3, Science Drive 2, 117600, Singapore
| | - Lauren E Helgen
- Division of Mammals, National Museum of Natural History, MRC 108 NHB 390, PO Box 37012, Washington, DC, 20013-7012, USA
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Esselstyn JA, Garcia HJD, Saulog MG, Heaney LR. A New Species ofDesmalopex(Pteropodidae) from the Philippines, with a Phylogenetic Analysis of the Pteropodini. J Mammal 2008. [DOI: 10.1644/07-mamm-a-285.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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