There are some relatively recent dichotomous keys of skeletal characters, but they usually focus on distinguishing among species of the same genus, or use the cranium only, forgetting about the postcranial skeleton; or deal only with higher-level taxa, e.g. telling apart the mammalian orders. But are there, and could any one, please, point me to, any good dichotomous keys to middle-level mammalian taxa (from order to genera) based solely on skeletal characters? Without having to go all the way back to Lydekker's works (e.g. Catalogue of the Ungulate Mammals in the BM, 1913, which has some keys), and without being merely simple ones for teaching?
Dear Miguel,
There is a three-volume key based on the morphology of the femur, tibia, fibula, humerus, ulna, radius, calcaneus and astragalus. It is in Russian throughout and is limited to the mid to large-sized Quaternary mammals from the former USSR.
Gromova V.I., 1950a. Key to the mammals of the USSR based on skeletal bones. Text and album of drawings. Issue 1. Key based on the large tubular bones. A. Text. Trudy Komissii po Izucheniyu Chetvertichnogo Perioda, 9: 1-240. [in Russian] http://ashipunov.info/shipunov/school/books/gromova1950_opred_mlek_kost_1a.djvu
Gromova V.I., 1950b. Key to the mammals of the USSR based on skeletal bones. Text and album of drawings. Issue 1. Key based on the large tubular bones. B. Album of drawings. Trudy Komissii po Izucheniyu Chetvertichnogo Perioda, 9: 1-108. [in Russian] http://ashipunov.info/shipunov/school/books/gromova1950_opred_mlek_kost_1b.djvu
Gromova V.I., 1960. Key to the mammals of the USSR based on skeletal bones. Issue 2. Key based on the large carpal and tarsal bones. Trudy Komissii po Izucheniyu Chetvertichnogo Perioda, 16: 1-118. [in Russian] http://ashipunov.info/shipunov/school/books/gromova1960_opred_mlek_kost_2.djvu
You may also find it useful to check for additional keys the following thread here on RG: https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_is_a_good_book_for_the_identification_of_mammals_from_bones
Best wishes,
Dmitry
Within the living primates, there is a dichotomy between the strepsirhines (only a post-orbital bar) versus haplorhines (at least some postorbital septum, as in tarsiers, or a complete septum, as in anthropoids).
Hi Miguel,
in zooarchaeology we use a number of atlases (not specifically dichotomous keys) to differentiate different species of wild and domestic animals. Regarding mammals, some of the classical references are (in chronological order):
Lavocat R. (1966). Faunes et Flores préhistoriques de L'Europe Occidentale. Collection L'homme et ses Origines.
Pales L. & Lambert C. (1971). Atlas ostéologique pour servir à la identification des mammifères du quaternaire.
Schmid E. (1972). Atlas of Animal Bones for Prehistorians, Archaeologist and Quaternary Geologist. Elsevier Publishing Company. Amsterdan, London, New York.
Prat F. (1970-75). Quelques mammifères pléistocènes. Odontologie, ostéologie. Université Bordeaux 1, Institut du Quaternaire, cours ronéot., texte : 245 p., illustrations : 66 pl.
Fernandez H. (2001). Ostéologie comparée des petits ruminants eurasiatiques sauvages et domestiques (genres Rupicapra, Ovis, Capra et Capreolus): diagnose differentialle du squelette apendiculaire, Universite de Genève, Faculté des Sciences
There is more recent (and generally more specific) literature regarding the differentiation between different species (e.g: how to discriminate sheep from goats based on teeth; small mammals based on geometric morphometrics...). There is a whole world of literature!
Hope this starting point helps.
Best wishes,
Silvia
Thank you very much, Dmitry. I didn't know those keys, they are a very good addition to my library! And I was already following Mathew Steward's question thread, thanks.
Deborah, I'm afraid your answer is a bit further off my question, but thanks anyway.
Thank you, Sílvia. Yes, I was aware of the atlases (I use them a lot), but none of them provides identification keys, hence my question here in RG. Indeed, one finds in the literature keys to discriminate species or genera (sheep from goats, like in your example), or even orders (like, for example, perissodactyles from land artiodactyles) or classes (mammals from reptiles and so on); but the "middle clades" are usually not dealt with.
For exemple, I know of a phenomenal key to cetacean families (based on skull only) here
https://swfsc.noaa.gov/uploadedFiles/Divisions/PRD/Publications/Jeffersonetal93(14).pdf
, but, other than going back to Lydekker, such keys are hard to come by...
While my library is less than sparse in this area, I happen to have a useful title not mentioned by others ... It would seem to fit your desiderata:
DeBlase, A.F. and R. E. Martin 1981 A Manual of Mammalogy with Keys to Families of the World, 2nd edition. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown Company.
In a large college or city library, you may find the following references:
Hill, W.C.Osman. 1953 Strepsirhini. In Primates Comparative Anatomy and Taxonomy: Strepsirhini. Vol. 1. Edinburgh University Press.
Hill, W.C.Osman. 1955. Haplorhini. In Primates Comparative Anatomy and Taxonomy:
Haplorhini, Tarsiodea. Vol. 2. Edinburgh University Press.
There are other volumes, as well, but these dichotomize the strepsirhines versus
the haplorhines.
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