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Odontometric Patterns In The Radiation Of Extant Ground-Dwelling Squirrels Within Marmotini (Sciuridae: Xjrini), H. Thomas Goodwin

Faculty Publications

I document odontometry variation across ground-dwelling squirrels of the Holarctic tribe Marmotini. Dental size, which correlates well with published average body mass values across species, accounts for most odontometric variation across the clade. Dental shape variation primarily reflects relative size of P3 (upper cheek teeth) and relative width of p4-ml + length of m3 (lower cheek teeth). Shape variables and relative tooth crown height covary significantly across species, suggesting a common functional complex or shared genetic control. When dental morphology is mapped on published DNA-based phytogenies, Sciurotamias (Chinese rock squirrels), Ammospermophilus (antelope squirrels), and basal subgenera within Spermophilus (ground squirrels …