Three-dimensional cranial ontogeny in pantherines (Panthera leo, P. onca, P. pardus, P. tigris; Carnivora: Felidae)

PREVOSTI, FRANCISCO JUAN; PREVOSTI, FRANCISCO JUAN; SEGURA, VALENTINA; SEGURA, VALENTINA; CASSINI, GUILLERMO HERNÁN; CASSINI, GUILLERMO HERNÁN

BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2017 vol. 120 p. 210 - 227

0024-4066

The Panthera lineage is a monophyletic clade of felids,supported by both morphological and molecular evidence. The lineage includeslarge species with cranial similarity such as Panthera leo and P. tigris, and other with very differentcranium such as P. pardus. The aim ofour work was to study the cranial ontogeny of Pantherines, elucidating whethertheir cranial shape is a product of size or phylogeny, and to compare thesefindings with available information about other carnivores. We studied 370specimens using geometric morphometrics technique in three dimensions. Panthera leo and P. tigris showsimilar ontogenetic trajectories, sharing adult crania with wider rostrum,shorter basicranium and vertical occipital plate. The cranial configuration of P. leois a scaling version of P. tigris. P. pardus shows the mostdifferent cranial pattern, with adults having a rounded braincase and zygomaticarches less expanded than the rest, whereas P.onca occupies an intermediate place betweenthese patterns. P. pardus is the species with the smallestbirth weight and the lowest growth rate, reaching a final size and shape laterthan the remaining species. Adult shape morphology reflects no relation to phylogeneticplacement of the species and it is probably related to Pantherine body size.