Differences between Australian hopping mice crania is explained by phylogeny and ecology

What is it about?

Half of the ten Australian hopping mice (Notomys) species have become extinct recently, and most of the rest are threatened, making the study of their present diversity paramount. Using geometric morphometric methods, I find significant differences in cranial size and shape among Notomys species. The species pair that differed the most (N. aquilo – N. cervinus), potentially caused by the N. cervinus being evolutionarily distant from other Notomys and N. aquilo having a more distinct ecology than the other sampled species.

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Why is it important?

Most of the species in the genus are extinct, threatened or otherwise have unstable populations, making the documentation of their diversity important.

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