Morphometry and morphology of em>Crocidura /em> Wagler 1832 (Mammalia, Soricidae) in Italy, Sardinia and Sicily, with Fourier descriptors approach: first results / Morfometria e morfologia di em>Crocidura /em> Wagler 1832 (Mammalia, Soricidae) in Italia, Sardegna e Sicilia, con il metodo dei descrittori di Fourier: primi dati

• Published in: Hystrix Vol. 1; no. 1
• Main Authors: Longino Contoli, Barbara Benincasa-Stagni, Anna Rosa Marenzi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Associazione Teriologica Italiana 01.07.1989
• Subjects: Analisi discriminante; Descrittori di Fourier; Discriminant analysis; Fourier descriptors
• ISSN: 0394-1914; 1825-5272
• DOI: 10.4404/hystrix-1.1-3892

Abstract A shape analysis through Fourier descriptors was performed on left mandibles of Crocidura obtained by Barn Owl pellets from peninsular Italy (Emilia and Liguria districts), Sardinia and Sicily. Thanks to some classical analysis (morphometrical mono- and bidimensional diagrams, morphological analysis) and to biogeographical and genetical evidences, the samples of Sardinia, the smaller specimens of Liguria and Emilia and the bigger ones of Emilia were respectively classified, as a working hypothesis, as C. russula , C. suaveolens and C. leucodon . The "misclassification rate" essay was very low, confirming the reliability of the discrimination rule employed. The sicilian samples, showing an unimodal pattern with respect to all the classical morphometrical characters examined, were then tested against the descriptors of C. russula , C. suaveolens and C. leucodon . The specimens were assigned to all the above species, with a quite even distribution. On the other hand, the hypothesis of equality of two mean vectors for sicilian samples with C. russula or C. suaveolens or C. leucodon , tested by Hotelling's T² test, was rejected at 1% significance level. Owing to the fact that the above results seemed quite unexpected in the light of overall bio- geographical knowledges on Crocidura , the "shape analysis" procedure was repeated, by adding a new "species" for the sicilian samples. The "misclassification rate" essay was very encouraging in the sense of the presence, in Sicily, of a morphological "species", differing from C. russula , C. suaveolens and C. leucodon , possibly to be referred to C. sicula Miller 1901. The euristic value of such up to now first results is discussed. Riassunto L'analisi della forma e l'analisi morfometrica di esemplari di Crocidura sp. pl. conducono a considerare probabile la presenza, in Sicilia, di una forma differente da C. russula , C. suaveolens , C. leucodon , la cui possibile coincidenza con C. sicula Miller 1901, è comunque ancora da discutere. Circa la Liguria occidentale è stata confermata la presenza di C. suaveolens . In Sardegna, si conferma la presenza di una specie, da riferire a C. russula . In Emilia, viene avallata l'ipotesi della presenza di due specie: C. leucodon e C. suaveolens .