Sexual dimorphism and allometry in malacophagus snakes (Dipsadidae: Dipsadinae)

Santos, Marina Meireles dos; Klaczko, Julia; Prudente, Ana Lúcia da Costa

doi:10.1016/j.zool.2022.126026

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Studies on the allometry of snake skulls are restricted to members of a few families. Monteiro (1998) and Jayne et al (2022) studied three Boidae species; Rossman (1980) , Young (1989) , Hampton (2014) , Hampton & Kalmus (2014) and Andjelković, Tomović & Ivanović (2016) studied Natricinae snakes; Jayne et al (2022) studied single Colubrinae species; Murta-Fonseca & Fernandes (2016) and Murta-Fonseca et al (2019) focused on Xenodontinae; Dos Santos & da Costa Prudente (2022) studied malacophagous Dipsadidae; Hampton & Moon (2013) studied a single species of Crotalinae; Borczyk et al. (2021) , Patterson et al (2022) and Ammresh et al (2023) studied three species of Elapidae.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition to the list, Palci, Lee & Hutchinson (2016) compared Anilios bicolor (Scolecophidia), Cylindrophis ruffus (Cylindrophidae), Aspidites ramsai (Pythonidae), Acrochordus arafurae (Acrochordidae) and Notechis scutatus (Elapidae); however, their sample comprises juvenile-adult pairs for each species, not growth series. Some of these studies ignored the potential effect of sexual dimorphism and only Camilleri & Shine (1990) , Murta-Fonseca et al (2019) Borczyk et al (2021) and Dos Santos & da Costa Prudente (2022) addressed this topic directly, confirming some differences between males and females. However, sexual dimorphism in head size and shape has been reported in a variety of snake species ( e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sexual dimorphism in skull size and shape of Laticauda colubrina (Serpentes: Elapidae)

Borczyk

2023

PeerJ

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Background Sexual dimorphism in size and shape is widespread among squamate reptiles. Sex differences in snake skull size and shape are often accompanied by intersexual feeding niche separation. However, allometric trajectories underlying these differences remain largely unstudied in several lineages. The sea krait Laticauda colubrina (Serpentes: Elapidae) exhibits very clear sexual dimorphism in body size, with previous studies having reported females to be larger and to have a relatively longer and wider head. The two sexes also differ in feeding habits: males tend to prey in shallow water on muraenid eels, whereas females prey in deeper water on congerid eels. Methods I investigated sexual dimorphism in skull shape and size as well as the pattern of skull growth, to determine whether males and females follow the same ontogenetic trajectories. I studied skull characteristics and body length in 61 male and female sea kraits. Results The sexes differ in skull shape. Males and females follow distinct allometric trajectories. Structures associated with feeding performance are female-biased, whereas rostral and orbital regions are male-biased. The two sexes differ in allometric trajectories of feeding-related structures (female biased) that correspond to dietary divergence between the sexes. Conclusions Sea kraits exhibit clear sexual dimorphism in the skull form that may be explained by intersexual differences in the feeding habits as well as reproductive roles. The overall skull growth pattern resembles the typical pattern observed in other tetrapods.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual dimorphism in skull size and shape of Laticauda colubrina (Serpentes: Elapidae)

Borczyk

2023

PeerJ

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Peripheral hearing sensitivity is similar between the sexes in a benthic turtle species despite the larger body size of males

Wang,

Yang,

Lei

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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Sexually dimorphic hearing sensitivity has evolved in many vertebrate species, and the sex with a larger body size typically shows more sensitive hearing. However, generalizing this association is controversial. Research on sexually dimorphic hearing sensitivity contributes to an understanding of auditory sense functions, adaptations, and evolution among species. Therefore, the hypothesized association between body size and hearing needs further validation, especially in specific animal groups. In this study, we assessed hearing sensitivity by measuring auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) in both sexes of 3‐year‐old Chinese softshell turtles (Pelodiscus sinensis). In this species, male bodies are larger than those of female, and individuals spend most of their lives in the mud at the bottom of freshwater habitats. We found that for both sexes, the hearing sensitivity bandwidth was 0.2–0.9 kHz. Although males were significantly larger than females, no significant differences in ABR thresholds or latencies were found between males and females at the same stimulus frequency. These results indicate that P. sinensis hearing is only sensitive to low‐frequency (typically <0.9 kHz) sound signals and that sexually dimorphic hearing sensitivity is not a trait that has evolved in P. sinensis. Physiological and environmental reasons may account for P. sinensis acoustic communication via low‐frequency sound signals and the lack of sexually dimorphic hearing sensitivity in these benthic turtles. The results of this study refine our understanding of the adaptation and evolution of the vertebrate auditory system.

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Comparative transcriptome analysis of ovaries and testes reveals sex-biased genes and pathways in zebrafish

Li,

Cai,

Shi

et al. 2024

Gene

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Sexual dimorphism and allometry in malacophagus snakes (Dipsadidae: Dipsadinae)

Cited by 5 publications

References 81 publications

Sexual dimorphism in skull size and shape of Laticauda colubrina (Serpentes: Elapidae)

Sexual dimorphism in skull size and shape of Laticauda colubrina (Serpentes: Elapidae)

Peripheral hearing sensitivity is similar between the sexes in a benthic turtle species despite the larger body size of males

Comparative transcriptome analysis of ovaries and testes reveals sex-biased genes and pathways in zebrafish

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