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Shape Variation in the Dermatocranium of the Greater Short-Horned Lizard Phrynosoma hernandesi (Reptilia: Squamata: Phrynosomatidae)

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Abstract

Dermatocranial shape and horn morphology display great disparity among the species of Phrynosoma. Ontogenetic change in dermatocranial shape in a series of 79 specimens of the short-horned Phrynosoma hernandesi (54F: 25M) was examined using geometric morphometric techniques. A multivariate ANCOVA of Procrustes residuals with sex as a factor and ln(centroid size) as the covariate indicated sexual shape dimorphism. Separate multivariate regressions of Procrustes residuals on ln(centroid size) for each sex indicated that allometry accounts for ~52–54% of the total sample shape variance. Comparisons of ontogenetic shape change between sexes indicate that sexual shape dimorphism is minimal and of uncertain biological significance. Groupings of multivariate regression coefficients by magnitude and sign suggest that allometric integration of the dermatocranium is not uniform over the dermatocranium. Principal component analysis of the landmark configurations corrected for sex and allometry yields a first principal component which describes shape variance concentrated in the posterolateral and posterior regions of the dermatocranium, and again is indicative of non-uniform shape variation over the dermatocranium. Our findings for P. hernandesi indicate that the adult shape of the dermatocranium may contribute to a passive defence against predation. We hypothesize that the complexity in dermatocranial shape demonstrated here for P. hernandesi indicates parcellation of shape variance, which may contribute to explanations of the pronounced dermatocranial disparity exhibited by the species of Phrynosoma.

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Acknowledgements

Support for this project came from a National Science and Engineering Research Council Discovery Grant to APR, National Institute of Health grant 2R01DE019638 and National Science and Engineering Research Council Grant #238992-12 to BH, and a Queen Elizabeth II Doctoral Scholarship to GLP. We thank the following for loans of specimens of Phrynosoma hernandesi under their care: C. Pazkowski (University of Alberta Museum of Zoology), W. Fitch (University of Calgary Museum of Zoology), R. Murphy (Royal Ontario Museum), M. Steigerwald (Canadian Museum of Nature), M. Steinhilber (Royal Alberta Museum), and R. Poulin (Royal Saskatchewan Museum). We are grateful to C.J. Franklin (University of Texas at Arlington), J. Vindum (California Academy of Sciences), C.L. Spencer (University of Californian Museum of Vertebrate Zoology), G. Schneider (University of Michigan Museum of Zoology), J.R. Dixon (Texas Cooperative Wildlife Collection), G. Bradley (University of Arizona), and K. de Queiroz (United States National Museum of Natural History) for loans of specimens of other species of Phrynosoma illustrated here. We are greatly indebted to H. Buie, W. Lu, and A. Tinius for technical assistance. E. Sherratt, M.L. Zelditch, and D.C. Adams provided critical help with geomorph. We thank A. Haber and an anonymous reviewer for comments which resulted in a greatly improved final product.

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  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada

    G. L. Powell & A. P. Russell

  2. Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Dr. NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada

    H. A. Jamniczky & B. Hallgrímsson

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  1. G. L. Powell
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Powell, G.L., Russell, A.P., Jamniczky, H.A. et al. Shape Variation in the Dermatocranium of the Greater Short-Horned Lizard Phrynosoma hernandesi (Reptilia: Squamata: Phrynosomatidae). Evol Biol 44, 240–260 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11692-016-9403-6

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