We studied morphological and functional variations in jaws of coastal and mountain populations of subterranean Spalacopus cyanus inhabiting soils with contrasting hardness. We found almost no morphological differentiation between populations in the variables we measured. However, there were clear differences in incisor resistance between them. Apparently, soil hardness did not represent a selective pressure on cururos' digging apparatus. An Andean origin of this genus could explain our results.
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1 February 2002
FUNCTIONAL MORPHOLOGY AND GEOGRAPHIC VARIATION IN THE DIGGING APPARATUS OF CURUROS (OCTODONTIDAE: SPALACOPUS CYANUS)
Leonardo D. Bacigalupe,
José Iriarte-Díaz,
Francisco Bozinovic
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functional ecology
morphology
Morphometrics
Octodontidae
Spalacopus
subterranean rodent