Systematic and geometric morphometrics analysis applied to the current and fossil genus Ellobius (Fischer, 1814) from the Middle East - HAL-SHS - Sciences de l'Homme et de la Société Accéder directement au contenu
Communication Dans Un Congrès Année : 2020

Systematic and geometric morphometrics analysis applied to the current and fossil genus Ellobius (Fischer, 1814) from the Middle East

Résumé

This study is based on the Geometric Morphometrics (GMM) analysis on Ellobius genus. 111 lower first molars (m1) were analysed belonging to the genus Ellobius (mole voles), focusing on Ellobius fuscocapillus, Ellobius lutescens and Ellobius talpinus. The archaeological material from the Iranian site of Kadar Cave was compared with the reference collection coming from the Natural History Museum of London, the Field Museum of Chicago, and the American Museum of Natural History. Our objective is to examine morphological and size differences in the genus Ellobius between the different species and to contribute to better identification of the specimens in archaeological sites. We analyse molar size and conformation using two dimensional Geometric Morphometric with landmarks and semi-landmarks; using TPSdig2 and R software. Fourteen landmarks were placed on the salient and re-entrant lingual and buccal angles, and on the posterior lobe and the anterior cap. Moreover, in order to characterize the size and conformation of the anterior cap, 60 equidistant semi-landmarks were automatically positioned along the curve corresponding to the external outline of the tooth enamel from the buccal salient angle 3 to the lingual salient angle 4. The m1 is quite similar among the different Ellobius species, although there are some differences. With the GMM we observed that, from the morphological point of view of the conformation of the anterior cap and the disposition of the triangles, Ellobius fuscocapillus and Ellobius lutescens are closely related while Ellobius talpinus differs and is well separated from the other two species. If we include tooth size and shape, an allometric effect is also evident and it is possible to distinguished between Ellobius fuscocapillus and Ellobius lutescens, as the anterior cap of Ellobius fuscocapillus is elongated and the total tooth length is greater than that found in Ellobius lutescens. Correct identification of Ellobius species would increase precision when reconstructing archaeological paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic conditions, as each species has different ecological and climatic requirements. Furthermore, precise species attribution contributes to our understanding of the biostratigraphic sequence of the species, as the studied species (Ellobius fuscocapillus, Ellobius lutescens and Ellobius talpinus) indicates an Upper Pleistocene chronology and could be used as a chronological indicator.
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Dates et versions

hal-02997836 , version 1 (10-11-2020)

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  • HAL Id : hal-02997836 , version 1

Citer

Ivan Rey-Rodríguez, Julie Arnaud, Juan Manuel Lopez-García, Emmanuelle Stoetzel, Christiane Denys, et al.. Systematic and geometric morphometrics analysis applied to the current and fossil genus Ellobius (Fischer, 1814) from the Middle East. 3rd Meeting of the ICAZ Microvertebrate Working Group, Sep 2020, Tarragone, Spain. ⟨hal-02997836⟩
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