Abstract
Metapodials and phalanges of the second to fourth digital ray were measured for the hands and feet of 214 specimens belonging to 45 extant species of hystricognath rodents, encompassing members of all major clades of the radiation. Principal components analysis (PCA), the phalangeal index of the third digital ray in the hands and feet, and the relationship between second and fourth digital ray were used to investigate intrinsic autopodial proportions as well as to provide a base for comparisons between hands and feet. PCA separated cursorial Hystricognathi from arboreal ones, but lead to little distinction in other locomotory modes. Cursors have longer metapodials and shorter phalanges, particularly in their hind limb, while arboreal species have relatively longer manual and pedal phalanges. Terrestrial, scansorial, fossorial, and semi-aquatic species were not clearly distinguished, but there is a tendency towards elongated manual digits and relatively short feet in most fossorial species. Closely related species with similar locomotory habits tend to group together in PCA morphospace, and also have similar phalangeal indices. The results are in agreement with current hypotheses on locomotory adaptations of the hand and foot, and concur with many previous findings on autopodial proportions in arboreal, cursorial, and fossorial species. They also highlight the limited use of autopodial proportions for inferring systematic affinities. The lack of distinction in the majority of species is likely related to the lack of highly specialized locomotory types in Hystricognathi. r 2006 Deutsche Gesellschaft für Säugetierkunde. Published by Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
Zusammenfassung
Die Länge der Hand/Fußmetapodien und Fingerelemente des zweiten bis vierten Hand-und Fußstrahles wurden bei 214 Individuen aus 45 rezenten Arten der hystricognathen Nager vermessen, wobei alle größeren Stämme vertreten waren. Um die Diversität der Autopodienproportionen vergleichend darzustellen, wurden jene Elemente, die vor allem an der Diversität in hystricognathen Autopodien beteiligt sind, durch Principal Components Analysis (PCA) ermittelt. Außerdem wurden der “Phalangeal index” des dritten Hand-und Fußstrahles sowie das Verhältnis des zweiten und vierten Hand- und Fußstrahles zueinander bestimmt.
Die PCA trennte vor allem die kursorialen Hystricognathi von den arborealen. Erstere haben besonders im Fuß längere Metapodien und relativ kurze Fingerelemente, arboreale Arten zeichnen sich durch längere Fingerelemente und dementsprechend relativ kürzere Metapodien aus.
Alle anderen Lokomotionskategorien (terrestrisch, skansorial, fossorial, und semi-aquatisch) konnten von keiner Methode eindeutig voneinander getrennt werden, obwohl stark fossoriale Tiere zu verlängerten Fingern und insgesamt kürzeren Füßen tendieren. Nah verwandte Arten mit ähnlichen Lokomotionsgewohnheiten sind im PCA - Diagramm oft gruppiert und ähneln einander auch in ihren “Phalangeal indices”. Die Verhältnisse der Finger-und Fußstrahlen zueinander sind nicht besonders informativ abgesehen von der Entaxonie einiger grabender Bathyergidae und Ectaxonie von Kannabateomys. Unsere Ergebnisse stimmen mit den gängigen Hypothesen über Anpassungen an arborealen, kursorialen, und grabenden Lokomotionstypen überein und decken sich mit vielen Ergebnissen von anderen Säugergruppen. Somit weisen sie auch auf die bedingte Nützlichkeit von Handproportionen in Bezug auf systematische überlegungen hin. Die geringe Abgrenzung von Arten verschiedener lokomotorischer Gewohnheiten ist wahrscheinlich darauf zurückzuführen, daß die meisten Hystricognathi relativ unspezialisiert und meist zu mehreren Lokomotionstypen fähig sind.
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Weisbecker, V., Schmid, S. Autopodial skeletal diversity in hystricognath rodents: Functional and phylogenetic aspects. Mamm Biol 72, 27–44 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2006.03.005
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2006.03.005