摘要:

Many dimensions of the postcranial skeleton of ruminant artiodactyls scale closely with body weight and are therefore potentially useful as predictors of body weight in fossil species. Using 45 dimensions of the skeleton a series of predictive equations was generated based on the scaling relationships of the family Bovidae. As a test of their usefulness these equations were used to predict body weights of a number of living ruminant artiodactyls, and six genera of fossil artiodactyls. For most species body weight estimates within 25° of actual weight were given by the mean of the predicted weights from all measurements except lengths of long bones. While femur length was a reasonable predictor of body weight, lengths of distal long bones were unreliable and should not be used as indicators of relative or absolute body weights. Some non‐length measurements are biased in certain taxonomic groups; the possibility of erroneous estimates from such measurements can be reduced by using as many estimators of body weight as are available. No species of artiodactyl tested is so highly modified in all dimensions that all results were erroneous. Subsets of measurements which might be available from a typical fossil fragment also gave reliable resul

ISSN:0024-4082    

DOI:10.1111/j.1096-3642.1983.tb00098.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1983

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

A total of 36 spider species of the families Theridiidae, Tetragnathidae and Araneidae are recorded from Aldabra atoll. Of these, 26 are described as new, together with one new subspecies. The taxonomy of the new species is discussed and, for comparative purposes, five other species not from Aldabra are illustrated. One new synonymy is established. Records for each species are given with, in some cases, notes on biology. The possible biological significance of the egg sac strings found in some species is considered. Finally, the biogeographical affinities of the Aldabra species are briefly discussed.

ISSN:0024-4082    

DOI:10.1111/j.1096-3642.1983.tb00099.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1983

数据来源: WILEY