Craniometrical characteristics of some Sorex araneus chromosomal races

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Skulls of 504 immature common shrews (Sorex araneus) representing seven chromosomal races (Moscow, Lepel, Manturovo, Yagry, Serov, Tomsk, and Neroosa) were examined using 24 morphometric variables and 15 indices derived from them. The races were found to differ in a number of dimensions and proportions of the skull. Each race has its own morphological appearance. Cluster analysis of craniometrical data showed that the Tomsk race was separated from other races. Factor analysis revealed the main trend of craniometrical variability in S. araneus chromosomal races. The craniometrical diversity of the species is determined by the variation of characters related to the length of dental rows and the width of the mouth cavity.

Morphometric variation of the common shrew Sorex araneus in Ukraine, in relation to geoclimatic factors and karyotype

“…However, it has also been demonstrated (Chêtnicki et al, 1996;Polyakov et al, 2002;Okulova et al, 2004) that when the level of karyotype differentiation is higher, morphological differences between chromosome races of S. araneus become more visible.…”

“…Intensive investigation of S. araneus karyology has revealed about 70 chromosome races in Europe and Siberia (Wójcik et al, 2002). The extent to which karyological and morphological differentiation coincide has been studied in different regions over the vast species range (Hausser, 1984;Zima & Král, 1985;Searle & Thorpe, 1987;Hausser et al, 1991;Meyer & Searle, 1994;Chêtnicki et al, 1996;Wójcik et al, 2000;Banaszek et al, 2002;Polyakov et al, 2002;Okulova et al, 2004). It has been demonstrated that differences in morphology do not conform to the geographical distribution of chromosome races of S. araneus (Zima & Král, 1985), and could be explained rather by differences in environmental conditions (Sulkava et al, 1985;Wójcik et al, 2000).…”

“…In some cases however, significant morphological differences have been detected between neighbouring chromosome races (Chêtnicki et al, 1996;Polyakov et al, 2002). In Siberia, chromosome differentiation of the common shrew has been found to coincide with subspecies division (Polyakov et al, 2002;Okulova et al, 2004).…”

Intra-species structuring in the common shrew Sorex araneus (Lipotyphla: Soricidae) in European Russia: morphometric variability could give evidence of limitation of interpopulation migration

“…Although a number of researchers have found morphological differences between the chromosomal races of Sorex araneus (Chętnicki et al, 1996;Polyakov et al, 2002;Okulova et al, 2007), in most studies, morphometric variability was unassociated with racial boundaries (Sulkava et al, 1985;Searle & Thorpe, 1987;Wójcik et al, 2000;Banaszek et al, 2003;Mishta, 2007). Morphological difference was found in cases when the races differed in size.…”

“…Moska and Paśko (2006) found that though individuals of races from the same karyotypic group (Lęgunski Młyn and Popielno) do not clearly differ, canonical analysis and multidimensional scaling allow discrimination between hybrids and non-hybrids. Okulova et al (2007) found that several races differed in a number of dimensions and proportions of the skull. However, most authors did not find correspondence between membership in a chromosomal race and morphometric characteristics (Searle & Thorpe, 1987;Hausser, 1994;Meyer & Searle, 1994;Wójcik et al, 2000;Banaszek et al, 2003).…”