Morphometric data to describe phenotypical variation across Pygmy and Marbled newts (genus Triturus)

An extensive dataset on the external morphology of pygmy and marbled newts was used to explore the static allometry of sexual size dimorphism (SSD) and Rensch’s rule (RR). Females were larger in trunk and head sizes, whereas males had longer limbs and digits. Divergences in trunk and head dimensions between sexes were achieved along a common allometric slope rather than by a change in the slope’s direction, most often through a shift in the intercept. Sexual dimorphism in finger and toe length was unrelated to body size. The change in SSD with a change in body size (RR) was confirmed for female-biased traits. RR was unrelated to changes in static allometric slopes., Five (sub)species of T. marmoratus species group were analysed: two subspecies of the marbled newts – T. marmoratus harmannis (338 females and 247 males from 46 populations) and T. m. marmoratus (80 females and 70 males from five populations) and three taxa of pygmy newts namely T. p. pygmaeus (26 males and 24 females from five populations), T. pygmaeus lusitanicus (317 females and 254 males from 38 populations) and T. rudolfi (126 females and 125 males from six populations).  A sample of the even larger crested newt T. cristatus (15 males, 30 females from one population) was included for comparison. Hybrid populations were excluded (Arntzen, 2018, 2024ab). All measured individuals were adults. The following eight morphometric traits were analyzed: snout-vent length (SVl), as representative of overall body size was measured from the tip of the snout up to and including to the insertion of hind limbs, interlimb distance (ILd), head width (Hw), head length (Hl), forelimb length (FLl), thi..., , # Morphometric data to describe phenotypical variation across Pygmy and Marbled newts (genus Triturus)

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.w6m905qzm](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.w6m905qzm)

From the paper **Allometry, sexual dimorphism, and Rensch’s rule in pygmy and marbled newts (Journal of Evolutionary Biology**, voae150, [https://doi.org/10.1093/jeb/voae150](https://doi.org/10.1093/jeb/voae150))

Authors:

Ana Ivanović, Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia, [[e-mail]](mailto:[e-mail])

Tijana Vučić, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, The Netherlands, Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands, Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia, [[e-mail]](mailto:[e-mail])

Jan W. Arntzen, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, The Netherlands, Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands, [[e-mail]](mailto:[e-mail])

| Brief summar...