Cranial Integration in the Sciuridae

High correlations among measurements of the cranium in the fox squirrel suggested to Olson and Miller (1958) that the skull in this species is highly integrated: that is, it tends to vary as a unit, and without clear subdivision into discrete independently-varying subunits. The evolutionary conserva...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American zoologist 1996-02, Vol.36 (1), p.14-23
Main Author: Roth, V. Louise
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal morphology
Biological taxonomies
Cranium
Evolution
Foxes
Historical Patterns of Developmental Integration
Jaw
Mandible
Phylogenetics
Rodents
Skull
Squirrels
Zoology
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Summary:High correlations among measurements of the cranium in the fox squirrel suggested to Olson and Miller (1958) that the skull in this species is highly integrated: that is, it tends to vary as a unit, and without clear subdivision into discrete independently-varying subunits. The evolutionary conservatism of the sciurid cranium, and the morphological convergence among pygmy squirrels of several distinct lineages, suggest that in the squirrel family high integration is also a feature of variation among species. A review of preliminary results of two- and three-dimensional morphometrics of the cranium, bivariate allometry of the mandible, and the anatomy of the masticatory musculature supports this suggestion, and highlights the importance of further clarifying phylogenetic relationships. Examination of embryos suggests that pygmy squirrels can not be considered strictly paedomorphic.
ISSN:1540-7063
0003-1569
1557-7023
DOI:10.1093/icb/36.1.14