Perera Priyan, Algewatta Hirusha Randimal, Karawita Hasitha
Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka.
IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group, C/o Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, United Kingdom.
MethodsX. 2020 Aug 4;7:101020. doi: 10.1016/j.mex.2020.101020. eCollection 2020.
Accurate morphological description of species has essential implications in field identification and cladistics. Pangolins (Mammalia: Pholidota) are considered the world's most trafficked mammals. The Indian pangolin has a wide geographical distribution in the Indian subcontinent. However, morphoanatomical variations of across its range are poorly understood. The published morphoanatomical descriptions have disparities, partly due to the lack of standard protocols and procedures in morphometric data collection and reporting, thus making comparisons among different records less meaningful. This Method Article presents protocols and procedures to follow in morphometric data collection and reporting for Morphometric parameters can be measured and reported under three age classes; juvenile, sub-adult, and adult, as well as the sex to describe the species' sexual dimorphism. The proposed protocol includes 13 morphometric measurements of a pangolin body. Procedures to count and report the number of body scales with special reference to the body region of a pangolin and scale morph-type are described. Morphometry of the claws of forelimbs is described using the Curvature Linear Index [1].
物种的准确形态描述在野外识别和系统发育学中具有重要意义。穿山甲（哺乳纲：鳞甲目）被认为是世界上被非法交易最多的哺乳动物。印度穿山甲在印度次大陆有着广泛的地理分布。然而，其分布范围内的形态解剖变异却鲜为人知。已发表的形态解剖描述存在差异，部分原因是在形态测量数据收集和报告中缺乏标准方案和程序，从而使得不同记录之间的比较意义不大。本文献提出了在印度穿山甲形态测量数据收集和报告中应遵循的方案和程序。形态测量参数可在三个年龄组（幼年、亚成年和成年）以及性别层面进行测量和报告，以描述该物种的两性异形。所提议的方案包括对穿山甲身体的13项形态测量。文中描述了计数和报告身体鳞片数量的程序，并特别提及穿山甲的身体部位和鳞片形态类型。前肢爪子的形态测量使用曲率线性指数[1]进行描述。
