@article{fdi:010077787,
  title = {{S}kull shape variation in extant pangolins ({P}holidota : {M}anidae) : allometric patterns and systematic implications},
  author = {{F}erreira-{C}ardoso, {S}. and {B}illet, {G}. and {G}aubert, {P}hilippe and {D}elsuc, {F}. and {H}autier, {L}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{P}angolins are among the most endangered groups of mammals, comprising eight extant species delineated into three genera. {D}espite several studies dedicated to their skeletal anatomy, the potential taxonomic insight from cranial morphological variation in extant {P}holidota is yet to be assessed with modern geometric morphometric methods. {W}e present the first comprehensive study on the cranial morphology of extant pangolins and discuss its implications for the taxonomy and evolution of the group. {W}e performed landmark-based morphometric analyses on 241 museum specimens to describe the variation in skull shape in seven of the eight extant species. {O}ur analyses revealed genusand species-level morphological discrimination, with {A}sian species ({M}anis spp.) being grouped together, whereas {A}frican pangolins present distinct skull shapes between small ({P}hataginus spp.) and large ({S}mutsia spp.) species. {A}nalyses of allometry also identified a set of traits whose allometric trajectories distinguish {A}sian from {A}frican specimens. {F}inally, we uncovered intraspecific variation in skull shape in white- bellied pangolins ({P}hataginus tricuspis) that partly corroborates recent {DNA}-based differentiation among biogeographically distinct populations. {O}verall, our results shed light on the morphological diversity of the skull of these enigmatic myrmecophagous mammals and confirm the genus-level classification and cryptic diversity within the white-bellied pangolin revealed by molecular phylogenetics.},
  keywords = {allometry ; conservation ; cryptic lineages ; ontogeny ; systematic ; {AFRIQUE} ; {ASIE}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{Z}oological {J}ournal of the {L}innean {S}ociety},
  volume = {188},
  numero = {1},
  pages = {255--275},
  ISSN = {0024-4082},
  year = {2020},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010077787},
}