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Post-Weaning Cranial Growth in Shrew Opossums (Caenolestidae): A Comparison with Bandicoots (Peramelidae) and Carnivorous Marsupials

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An Erratum to this article was published on 12 December 2014

Abstract

The patterns of development and skull ontogeny in caenolestids have been poorly studied, resulting in a limited knowledge. In this work, we report and compare the allometric growth trends of 15 variables in the three living groups of the Family Caenolestidae, represented by Caenolestes fuliginosus, Lestoros inca, and Rhyncholestes raphanurus. We analyzed the bivariate and multivariate allometry in comparison with morphologically convergent Australasian peramelids, as well as with other marsupials and placentals previously studied. We also report the phylogenetic signal and optimization of the confidence intervals of the variables analyzed in two alternative hypotheses, where Ameridelphia is considered as monophyletic and paraphyletic. Rhyncholestes raphanurus and C. fuliginosus shared more allometric trends than any other between-taxa comparisons. Notwithstanding, several statistics were higher in R. raphanurus, except for those variables related to temporal muscles and bite. The close relationship between R. raphanurus and L. inca is also supported by the longitudinal growth of the rostrum, although with a clear growth extension in R. raphanurus. The allometric trends reported for L. inca reflect a more predaceous condition compared to other caenolestids. Bandicoots and caenolestids did not show a particularly shared growth pattern, with the latter being morphologically more conservative. Ameridelphia was paraphyletic in the shortest tree regarding the optimization of the confidence intervals. However, the growth of several variables supported monophyletic groups in both hypotheses. Skull ontogeny in marsupials is informative in several aspects of the mandible and neurocranium reflecting the high phylogenetic signal displayed by variables related to these cranial regions.

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Acknowledgments

We thank curators who allowed the examination of the material under their care: Bruce Patterson and Bill Stanley of the Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH, Chicago), Kris Helgen, Darrin Lunde, and Linda Gordon of the Smithsonian Institution (USMNH, Washington, D.C.), Hugo López and Catalina Cárdenas of the Instituto de Ciencias Naturales Universidad Nacional de Colombia (ICN, Bogotá), and Sergio Solari of the Instituto de Biologia, Universidad de Antioquia (CTUA, Medellín). We thank Valentina Segura and Francisco Prevosti for discussion about character optimization on confidence intervals and for providing raw data of L. culpaeus. Guillermo Cassini performed the R script for bivariate comparisons. GMM thanks E. Watkins and M. Simeon for their economic support. This work was supported by an external fellowship of the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Técnicas of Argentina (CONICET) to DAF, and the projects PICT2008-1798 to NPG and PICT2012-1583 to DAF, of the Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica, Argentina (ANPCyT).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. División Mastozoología, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”, Av. Ángel Gallardo 470, CP1405, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    David A. Flores

  2. CONICET, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas http://www.conicet.gov.ar/

    David A. Flores, Gabriel M. Martin & Norberto P. Giannini

  3. Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Fernando Abdala

  4. Laboratorio de Investigaciones en Evolución y Biodiversidad, Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia, Esquel, Argentina

    Gabriel M. Martin

  5. Cátedra de Biogeografía, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina

    Norberto P. Giannini

  6. Grupo Mastozoología & Colección Teriológica, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia

    Juan M. Martinez

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  1. David A. Flores
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  2. Fernando Abdala
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  3. Gabriel M. Martin
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  4. Norberto P. Giannini
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  5. Juan M. Martinez
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Grupo Mastozoología

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Correspondence to David A. Flores.

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Flores, D.A., Abdala, F., Martin, G.M. et al. Post-Weaning Cranial Growth in Shrew Opossums (Caenolestidae): A Comparison with Bandicoots (Peramelidae) and Carnivorous Marsupials. J Mammal Evol 22, 285–303 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10914-014-9279-0

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