Open AccessBiogeographical variation on craniomandibular morphology in pallas’s squirrel \(\textit{Callosciurus erythraeus}\) (Pallas, 1779) (Rodentia: Sciuridae) in Vietnam
Author(s) -
Vu Thuy Duong,
Nguyễn Trường Sơn,
Bui Tuan Hai,
Ly Ngoc Tu,
Phuong Huy Dang,
Trần Anh Tuấn,
Masaharu Motokawa,
Hideki Endo,
Tatsuo Oshida
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
academia journal of biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2815-5920
pISSN - 2615-9023
DOI - 10.15625/2615-9023/16301
Subject(s) - biology , ecology , evergreen , zoology , geography
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.