Variation in the dentition yields insight into the evolutionary history of Mammalia. However, to date, there has been limited research on the dental variation in Pteropodidae, a family of bats found throughout sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and Oceania. Most species are large, diurnal, non-echolocating, and eat fruit or nectar. Pteropodids are of significant concern in conservation due to rapidly declining populations resulting from habitat loss, climate change, and their impacts on agriculture and disease. We collected dental metrics from the mandibular postcanine teeth of 101 pteropodid specimens spanning six species within the family to test three hypotheses: H1) dental metrics are significantly different across pteropodid species; H2) variation in pteropodid dental metrics is associated with variation in body size; and H3) variation in pteropodid dental proportions is associated with phylogenetic relatedness. We find that dental linear metrics vary significantly across pteropodids and are significantly associated with body size. In contrast, dental proportions of pteropodids reflect phylogenetic relationships. We propose that the combination of approaches for quantifying postcanine dental variation can elucidate and refine our understanding of the various selective forces that shaped the Pteropodidae radiation.

中文翻译：

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Megabats（手足目：翼足科）的牙齿变异：牙齿指标与体型和牙齿比例相关，反映系统发育

牙列的变化有助于深入了解哺乳动物的进化历史。然而，迄今为止，对翼足科（在整个撒哈拉以南非洲、东南亚和大洋洲发现的蝙蝠家族）牙齿变异的研究还很有限。大多数种类体型较大，昼夜活动，无回声定位，吃水果或花蜜。由于栖息地丧失、气候变化及其对农业和疾病的影响导致种群迅速减少，翼足类动物在保护方面受到了重大关注。我们从 101 个翼足类动物标本的下颌后犬齿中收集了牙齿指标，这些标本涵盖了该科 6 个物种，以检验三个假设：H1) 翼足动物物种之间的牙齿指标显着不同；H2) 翼足类牙齿指标的变化与体型的变化有关；和 H3) 翼足类牙齿比例的变异与系统发育相关性有关。我们发现牙齿线性指标在翼足类动物中差异很大，并且与体型显着相关。相比之下，翼足类的牙齿比例反映了系统发育关系。我们建议，量化犬后牙齿变异的方法的组合可以阐明和完善我们对塑造翼足科辐射的各种选择力的理解。