Landmarks and 3D scan data of Macaca fascicularis

Objectives: Magnitudes of morphological integration may constrain or facilitate craniofacial shape variation. The aim of this study was to analyze how the magnitude of integration in the skull of Macaca fascicularis changes throughout ontogeny in relation to developmental and/or functional modules.

Materials and Methods: Geometric morphometric methods were used to analyze the magnitude of integration in the macaque cranium and mandible in 80 juvenile and 40 adult M. fascicularis specimens. Integration scores in skull modules were calculated using ICV (Integration Coefficient of Variation of eigenvalues) based on a resampling procedure. Resultant ICV scores between the skull as a whole, and developmental and/or functional modules were compared using Mann-Whitney U tests.

Results: Results showed that most skull modules were more tightly integrated than the skull as a whole, with the exception of the chondrocranium in juveniles without canines, the chondrocranium/face complex and the...