Masters J, Lubinsky D
George Evelyn Hutchinson Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Am J Phys Anthropol. 1988 Jan;75(1):37-52. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.1330750106.
Several studies conducted in diverse fields indicate the presence of a genetic discontinuity within the taxon Galago crassicaudatus E. Geoffroy--the thick-tailed bushbaby. One of these areas is morphology. This contribution details a statistical analysis of skull material classified under this taxon in order 1) to confirm the objective existence of two morphotypes, and 2) to investigate the characters that allow the skull types to be distinguished. Emphasis is placed on multivariate techniques, although univariate and bivariate techniques are included where they are felt to be appropriate. All statistical analyses point to the reality of the morphological discontinuity between the groups. This is true even when size considerations have been reduced by rescaling the data. The results support separation of the populations at a specific level: G. crassicaudatus and G. garnettii. In addition, the structural changes observed in the two taxa--including an increase in overall size in G. crassicaudatus--are indicative of a divergence in preferred habitats: G. garnettii is adapted to more mesic environmental conditions, and to a softer, less fibrous diet than is its more robust sibling.
在不同领域进行的多项研究表明，厚尾婴猴（Galago crassicaudatus E. Geoffroy）这一分类单元内存在遗传间断性。其中一个领域是形态学。本论文详细阐述了对归入该分类单元的头骨材料的统计分析，目的如下：1）确认两种形态型的客观存在；2）研究能够区分这两种头骨类型的特征。尽管在认为合适的情况下也纳入了单变量和双变量技术，但重点是多变量技术。所有统计分析都表明这些群体之间形态间断性的真实性。即使通过重新缩放数据减少了对大小因素的考量，情况依然如此。结果支持在特定水平上对种群进行划分：厚尾婴猴和加氏婴猴（G. garnettii）。此外，在这两个分类单元中观察到的结构变化——包括厚尾婴猴整体尺寸的增加——表明它们在偏好的栖息地方面存在差异：加氏婴猴适应更湿润的环境条件，并且与更强壮的同胞相比，适应更柔软、纤维较少的食物。
