Syncranial osteology of Phalotris lemniscatus trilineatus (Colubridae: Serpentes)

Oliveira, Róger Jean; Portela, Priscila Rockenbach; Machado, Fabio Pereira; Loebmann, Daniel; Dornelles, José Eduardo Figueiredo; Valente, Ana Luísa

doi:10.2478/s11756-020-00452-8

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 12 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…However, although there have been a number of studies dedicated to snake skull diversity ( e.g. , Cundall & Irish, 2009 ; Oliveira et al, 2020 ; Rajabizadeh et al, 2021 ; Strong, Palci & Caldwell, 2021 ) little is known about the ontogenetic trajectories underlying its intra-specific diversity and intersexual variation at the species level.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual dimorphism in skull size and shape of Laticauda colubrina (Serpentes: Elapidae)

Borczyk

2023

PeerJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Sexual dimorphism in size and shape is widespread among squamate reptiles. Sex differences in snake skull size and shape are often accompanied by intersexual feeding niche separation. However, allometric trajectories underlying these differences remain largely unstudied in several lineages. The sea krait Laticauda colubrina (Serpentes: Elapidae) exhibits very clear sexual dimorphism in body size, with previous studies having reported females to be larger and to have a relatively longer and wider head. The two sexes also differ in feeding habits: males tend to prey in shallow water on muraenid eels, whereas females prey in deeper water on congerid eels. Methods I investigated sexual dimorphism in skull shape and size as well as the pattern of skull growth, to determine whether males and females follow the same ontogenetic trajectories. I studied skull characteristics and body length in 61 male and female sea kraits. Results The sexes differ in skull shape. Males and females follow distinct allometric trajectories. Structures associated with feeding performance are female-biased, whereas rostral and orbital regions are male-biased. The two sexes differ in allometric trajectories of feeding-related structures (female biased) that correspond to dietary divergence between the sexes. Conclusions Sea kraits exhibit clear sexual dimorphism in the skull form that may be explained by intersexual differences in the feeding habits as well as reproductive roles. The overall skull growth pattern resembles the typical pattern observed in other tetrapods.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%