Skull and tooth variation in the genus Perameles. Part I: anatomical features
Abstract
This study of the anatomical and metrical features of the skull and teeth of bandicoots of the genus Perameles was undertaken in order to analyse age, sex, and locality variations and trends. It is hoped that the results of the study will assist in the assessment of intra- and inter-specific taxonomic, phylogenetic and ecological relationships, enable the various subgeneric taxa to be more clearly defined, and facilitate the identification of subfossil and fossil fragments and isolated teeth. The present section of the study, Part I, outlines the taxonomy of the genus Perameles and describes generally the material used in the whole study. It also includes an illustrated, anatomical description of the skull and teeth of Perameles nasuta and a discussion of the anatomical variations of these features in other members of the genus Perameles.
