Dental Variation in Megabats (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae): Tooth Metrics Correlate with Body Size and Tooth Proportions Reflect Phylogeny

Variation in the dentition yields insight into the evolutionary history of Mammalia. However, to date, there has been limited research on the dental variation in Pteropodidae, a family of bats found throughout sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and Oceania. Most species are large, diurnal, non-echolocating, and eat fruit or nectar. Pteropodids are of significant concern in conservation due to rapidly declining populations resulting from habitat loss, climate change, and their impacts on agriculture and disease. We collected dental metrics from the mandibular postcanine teeth of 101 pteropodid specimens spanning six species within the family to test three hypotheses: H1) dental metrics are significantly different across pteropodid species; H2) variation in pteropodid dental metrics is associated with variation in body size; and H3) variation in pteropodid dental proportions is associated with phylogenetic relatedness. We find that dental linear metrics vary significantly across pteropodids and are significantly associated with body size. In contrast, dental proportions of pteropodids reflect phylogenetic relationships. We propose that the combination of approaches for quantifying postcanine dental variation can elucidate and refine our understanding of the various selective forces that shaped the Pteropodidae radiation.