Structure of claws and toes of two tropidurid lizard species of Restinga from Southeastern Brazil: adaptations to the vertical use of the habitat

Ribas, Sueli Carvalho; Velloso, Ana Lucia Rosario; Teixeira-Filho, Pedro; Barbosa, Orlando Rus; Evangelista, Heitor; Santos, Elaine Alves dos

doi:10.4067/s0716-078x2004000400003

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 33 publications

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“…These biological appendages serve a multitude of functions, including but not limited to, digging, climbing, and capturing prey 1 . The morphology of these claws, particularly their curvature and size, often provides a window into the ecological niches and lifestyles of the species 2 . For instance, studies on avian and reptilian species have shown that tree-dwelling species tend to have more curved and taller claws compared to their ground-dwelling counterparts 3 – 5 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiple factors influence claw characteristics in oribatid mites (Acari)

Kerschbaumer,

Pfingstl

2024

Sci Rep

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Claws, as nature's multifaceted instruments, play fundamental roles across the animal kingdom, aiding in prey capture and enabling movement across diverse terrains. Claw features often reflect the ecologies of the respective taxa and thus can provide important insights into the different lifestyles. This study explores the claw morphology of monodactylous oribatid mites through geometric morphometrics, analyzing 559 specimens from 49 species across various ecosystems. The research identifies distinct claw characteristics associated with specific habitats, revealing a significant correlation between claw morphology and the mites' environmental adaptations. Littoral mites exhibit notably larger claws compared to terrestrial counterparts, with aquatic and semiaquatic species presenting intermediate traits. The analysis shows an inverse relationship between claw curvature and sharpness, differing from patterns observed in larger animals. A trend of increasing claw bluntness with body size in terrestrial mites echoes biomechanical constraints seen in larger species. The study also observes consistent claw shapes within oribatid superfamilies, suggesting a potential, albeit muted, phylogenetic influence alongside environmental factors. These findings reveal how ecological, evolutionary, and functional aspects influence claw morphology in oribatid mites, enhancing our knowledge of arthropod biology and potentially inspiring biomimetic advances in material science and engineering.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiple factors influence claw characteristics in oribatid mites (Acari)

Kerschbaumer,

Pfingstl

2024

Sci Rep

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Points on the curve: An analysis of methods for assessing the shape of vertebrate claws

Tinius

Russell

2016

Journal of Morphology

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The form of amniote claws has been extensively investigated, often with inferences about ecological association being drawn from studies of their geometry. Various methods have been used to quantify differences in the geometry of claws, but rarely have the underlying assumptions of such methods been addressed. Here, we use one set of bird claws and apply six methods (five that have been previously used, and a new one) that are tasked with comparing their shape. In doing so, we compare the (1) ability of these methods to represent the shape of the claw; (2) validity of the assumptions made about underlying claw geometry; (3) their ability to be applied unambiguously; and (4) their ability to differentiate between predetermined functional clusters. We find that of the six methods considered only the geometric morphometric approach reveals differences in the shapes of bird claws. Our comparison shows that geometry-based methods can provide a general estimate of the degree of curvature of claw arcs, but are unable to differentiate between shapes. Of all of the geometry-based approaches, we conclude that the adjusted version of the Zani (2000) method is the most useful because it can be applied without ambiguity, and provides a reliable estimate of claw curvature. The three landmarks that define that method (tip and base of the claw arc, plus the intersection between said claw arc and a line drawn perpendicular from the midpoint of tip and claw base) do not all bear biological significance, but relatively clearly circumscribe the length-to-height ratio of the claw, which relates to its curvature. Overall, our comparisons reveal that the shape of avian claws does not differ significantly between climbing and perching birds, and that the utilization of preordained functional clusters in comparative data analysis can hinder the discovery of meaningful differences in claw shape. J. Morphol. 278:150-169, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals,Inc.

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First insights into the morphological development of tarsal claws in terrestrial oribatid mites

Kerschbaumer

Pfingstl

2023

Acarologia

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Mites occupy a wide range of ecological niches and are good models to investigate correlations of morphological structures and ecology in arthropods. Here we compare tarsal claw shape of three terrestrial oribatid mite species with different ecological backgrounds. By means of geometric morphometrics we describe shape, size and development of the tarsal claw of the monodactyl mite species Lamellovertex caelatus and Platynothrus peltifer, and the tridactyl Melanozetes meridianus. After analysis of juvenile and adult mites we can distinguish the euryoecious P. peltifer and the alpine M. meridianus with similar claw curvatures from the saxicolous L. caelatus with considerably less curved claws. The claw height of P. peltifer, on the other hand, is remarkably higher than in the other two species. Despite these differences, no correlation between claw characteristics and environmental factors can be inferred. During the development of the mites, claw curvature and shape remain constant from protonymph to adult and claw size increases direct proportionally with body growth in all studied species. Neither the monodactyl nor the tridactyl species show any specific changes in claw characteristics.

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Structure of claws and toes of two tropidurid lizard species of Restinga from Southeastern Brazil: adaptations to the vertical use of the habitat

Cited by 3 publications

References 33 publications

Multiple factors influence claw characteristics in oribatid mites (Acari)

Multiple factors influence claw characteristics in oribatid mites (Acari)

Points on the curve: An analysis of methods for assessing the shape of vertebrate claws

First insights into the morphological development of tarsal claws in terrestrial oribatid mites

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