Biogeographical variation on craniomandibular morphology in pallas’s squirrel <i>Callosciurus erythraeus</i> (Pallas, 1779) (Rodentia: Sciuridae) in Vietnam

Vu Thuy  Duong; Nguyen Truong  Son; Bui Tuan  Hai; Ly Ngoc  Tu; Dang Huy  Phuong; Tran Anh  Tuan; Masaharu Motokawa; Hideki Endo; Tatsuo Oshida

doi:10.15625/2615-9023/16301

Author affiliations

Authors

Vu Thuy Duong Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, VAST, Vietnam
Nguyen Truong Son Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, VAST, Vietnam
Bui Tuan Hai Graduate University of Science and Technology, VAST, Vietnam
Ly Ngoc Tu Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, VAST, Vietnam
Dang Huy Phuong Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, VAST, Vietnam
Tran Anh Tuan Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, VAST, Vietnam
Masaharu Motokawa The Kyoto University Museum, Kyoto University, Japan
Hideki Endo The University Museum, The University of Tokyo, Japan
Tatsuo Oshida Laboratory of Wildlife Biology, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15625/2615-9023/16301

Keywords:

Indochina Peninsula, mandible, skull, vegetation

Abstract

Different forest vegetations provide herbivorous small mammals with different resources, forcing adaptation since food habits depend on available resources. We expect differences in vegetation to be reflected in the size and shape of the skull and mandible as a result of potentially different feeding resources. Therefore, we analyzed the craniomandibular characteristics of Pallas’s squirrel (Callosciurus erythraeus) in Vietnam. This species commonly occurs in different vegetations in Vietnam, making it a good model for examining morphological adaptation to vegetation type. We analyzed morphologically the skulls and mandibles of 156 specimens collected from 31 localities in Vietnam from 1960 to the present. Principal component analysis showed that females occurring in the tropical lowland evergreen rain forest were clearly separated from those in other vegetations.

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