title: Molar shape variability in platyrrhine primates.
abstract: Recent phylogenetic analyses suggest that platyrrhines constitute a monophyletic group represented by three families: Cebidae, Atelidae, and Pitheciidae. Morphological variability between and within these three families, however, is widely discussed and debated. The aim of this study was to assess molar shape variability in platyrrhines, to explore patterns of interspecific variation among extant species, and to evaluate how molar shape can be used as a taxonomic indicator. The analyses were conducted using standard multivariate analyses of geometric morphometric data from 802 platyrrhine lower molars. The results indicated that the interspecific variation exhibited a highly homoplastic pattern related to functional adaptation of some taxa. However, phylogeny was also an important factor in shaping molar morphological traits, given that some phenotypic similarities were consistent with current phylogenetic positions. Our results show that the phylogenetic and functional signals of lower molar shape vary depending on the taxa and the tooth considered. Based on molar shape, Aotus showed closer similarities to Callicebus, as well as to some Cebidae and Ateles-Lagothrix, due to convergent evolutionary trends caused by similar dietary habits, or due to fast-evolving branches in the Aotus lineage, somewhat similar to the shape of Callicebus and Cebidae.
authors.affiliation: Secció de Zoologia i Antropologia Biològica, Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Mónica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nova Delgado
authors.affiliation: Secció de Zoologia i Antropologia Biològica, Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, George Washington University, 800 22nd Street NW, Ste 6000, Washington, D.C. 20052, USA.
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Galbany
authors.affiliation: Secció de Zoologia i Antropologia Biològica, Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address: martinez.perez-perez@ub.edu.
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pérez-Pérez
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D004032:Diet; D008963:Molar / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D011323:Primates / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000145:classification* / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Geometric morphometrics; Molar shape; Phylogeny; Platyrrhines