Abstract
ABSTRACT A large collection of recently prepared, complete specimens of Keichousaurus hui provides a wealth of new anatomical data for this taxon. Sexual dimorphism can be unambiguously quantified by proportions of the humerus as well as ratios of humerus length to standard length and femoral length. Multivariate (principal components and discriminant) analysis identified ratios most useful in distinguishing the sexes. Sexual maturity was reached in males at approximately 126 mm snout-vent length (SVL), and in females by 122 mm SVL. Mean SVL for mature males is approximately 161 SVL, and for mature females, at most 149 mm SVL. Although the last dimension predicts a mean hatchling SVL of approximately 50 mm based on data from extant squamates, the relationship between mean SVL of mature females and mean SVL of hatchling/neonate in squamates is quite variable. As a result, a mean value of 40.4 mm SVL for several tiny isolated individuals of Keichousaurus is well within the 95 percent confidence ellipse calculated from data from extant squamates. Therefore, there is not reason to postulate that the common occurrence of tiny individuals of between 33.5 mm and 48.2 mm SVL is the result of spontaneous abortions.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.