Skeletal Variation and Taxonomic Boundaries in the Pen-tailed Treeshrew (Scandentia: Ptilocercidae; Ptilocercus lowii Gray, 1848)

Juman, Maya M.; Olson, Link E.; Sargis, Eric J.

doi:10.1007/s10914-021-09556-7

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Our work highlights the crucial ongoing role of museums in the documentation, prediction, and mitigation of anthropogenic impacts on biodiversity. S5) 14,36,[49][50][51][52][53][54] from 839 adult (those with fully erupted permanent dentition 55 ) museum specimens of Tupaia belangeri (Supplementary Appendix) using Mitutoyo digital calipers that read to 0.01 mm. Because of occasional broken or damaged skulls, we were unable to record all measurements for all individuals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent and rapid ecogeographical rule reversals in Northern Treeshrews

Juman

Millien

Olson

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

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Two of the most-studied ecogeographical rules describe patterns of body size variation within species. Bergmann’s rule predicts that individuals have larger body sizes in colder climates (typically at higher latitudes), and the island rule predicts that island populations of small-bodied species average larger in size than their mainland counterparts (insular gigantism). These rules are rarely tested in conjunction or assessed across space and time simultaneously. We investigated these patterns in the Northern Treeshrew (Tupaia belangeri) using museum specimens collected across a wide spatial and temporal range. Contrary to Bergmann’s rule, size increases with temperature in T. belangeri, a signal that is highly consistent across space and time. We also show that these rules are intertwined: Bergmann’s rule is reversed on the mainland but holds on islands, and therefore the island rule is upheld at higher, but not lower, latitudes. Moreover, we demonstrate a rapid reversal of both rules over time. The mechanism behind these inversions remains unclear, though temperature and precipitation are significant predictors of body size. Ecogeographical rules rely on the assumption of a constant relationship between size and the factors driving its variation. Our results highlight the need to question this assumption and reevaluate these rules in the context of accelerating and uneven climate change.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent and rapid ecogeographical rule reversals in Northern Treeshrews

Juman

Millien

Olson

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

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Craniometric variation and taxonomic boundaries in the Madras Treeshrew (Scandentia, Tupaiidae: Anathana ellioti [Waterhouse, 1850]) from India

Juman,

Olson,

Sargis

2024

J Mammal Evol

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The Madras Treeshrew, Anathana ellioti (Waterhouse, 1850), is a small, poorly studied mammal from South Asia. It is the only treeshrew found across the southern half of the Indian subcontinent and is the westernmost member of its order (Scandentia). The phylogenetic relationship between Anathana and its putative sister genus, Tupaia, remains unresolved, and the morphological differences between these two genera have yet to be analyzed with craniometric data. Here we describe some features that distinguish Anathana from other treeshrews. However, our comparative morphometric analyses reveal that Anathana overlaps with Tupaia in morphospace; it is smaller than most species (including the only other species found on the Indian mainland, T. belangeri) but larger than T. minor, Dendrogale melanura, and Ptilocercus lowii. At the infraspecific level, there is some separation between eastern and western populations, but this requires further investigation with larger sample sizes. Unfortunately, Anathana is disproportionately scarce in museum collections relative to other scandentians, and additional biological surveys across South India will be critical for future research on the taxonomy, distribution, and conservation of this elusive taxon.

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