Integration of Digital Photogrammetry, 3D Geometric Morphometrics, and Genomic Analysis for the Study of Zoonotic-Relevant Bat Species Inhabiting the Argentine Litoral Region

ESCOBAR GUARDIA A.; PAVÉ, ROMINA; CARABALLO, DIEGO A.; ARGOITIA, MARÍA A.; SCHIERLOH P

San Francisco

Workshop; XXI Workshop on Information Processing and Control - RPIC2025; 2025

Bats of the genus Molossus in the Argentine Litoral exhibit high morphological similarity, complicating taxonomic identification. In this study, we developed a lowcost, motorized photogrammetric scanning system and applied 3D geometric morphometrics and comparative genomics to differentiate three cryptic species. We successfully reconstructed 15 high-quality 3D cranial models from museum specimens using photogrammetry and validated their accuracythrough comparison with microCT scans. Models were landmarked in 3D Slicer and analyzed with Procrustes and PCA methods. Dorsal and rostral views proved the most informative, revealing partial morphological separation among species despite overlapping convex hulls. Genomic analysis of public datasets identified candidate genes involved in craniofacial development, supporting the potential for integrative evo-devo studies. Our results demonstrate that digital photogrammetry, combined with 3D morphometrics and exploratory genomic data, is a viable and scalable method for species delimitation in morphologically conserved bat taxa, with applications in biodiversity monitoring and public health surveillance.