Shape variability of the head of Ophisops elegans Menetries, 1832 (Reptilia: Lacertidae) from Konya, Turkey

Tayhan Y., Yakin B. Y., Tok C. V.

ITALIAN JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY, vol.83, no.2, pp.208-212, 2016 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 83 Issue: 2
  • Publication Date: 2016
  • Doi Number: 10.1080/11250003.2016.1153163
  • Journal Name: ITALIAN JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.208-212
  • Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Ophisops elegans is a widely distributed lizard species. Like other lacertids, O. elegans has characteristic head plates. In this paper, the variation of the head plate morphology between sexes was studied in the subspecies Ophisops elegans centralanatoliae. According to our results, both size and shape of the head plates show sexual dimorphism. The most remarkable shape difference between sexes is observed in the parietal region. In addition, the ontogentic allometry of the head plate shapes was investigated.