For running or burying—The toe fringe ofPhrynocephalus mystaceusis important

Abstract

Toe fringe is the most typical morphological feature of lizards 4 adapted to sandy environments, and toe fringe is suitable for testing the 5 adaptive convergence suggested by form-environment correlations. 6Phrynocephalus mystaceus mainly lives in dune habitats, has a developed 7 bilateral toe fringe, and exhibits fast sand-diving behavior for predator 8 avoidance. We tested the effects of resecting the medial and bilateral toe 9 fringes on the locomotor performance and sand-diving performance of P. 1 0 mystaceus. The results showed that the individuals that had their medial 1 1 toe fringe removed exhibited significantly faster sprint speeds than the 1 2 unresected and all resected individuals (P <0.05). The results of stepwise 1 3 regression analysis show that the relative area of the toe fringe is an 1 4 important morphological feature that affects locomotor performance. The 1 5 sand-burial performance scores of the unresected individuals were 1 6 significantly greater than those of the resected individuals (P <0.05). The 1 7 results of stepwise regression analysis show that the relative area of toe 1 8 fringe and the axilla-groin length are the main morphological features that 1 9 3 1