Morphometrical comparison between Indian- and Chinese-derived rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta)

Abstract

Using standard methods, we describe the morphometric characteristics of Indian- and Chinese-derived rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) reared at the Primate Research Institute of Kyoto University. The most significant morphometric difference found between the two populations was in tail length, which was ca. 45% and 35% of crown–rump length in the Indian- and Chinese-derived rhesuses, respectively. There were no major differences between the two populations in terms of the other parameters of body size/proportion, although the Chinese-derived rhesuses tended to be larger than the Indian-derived rhesuses by 2–5% and there were some differences in the proportions of extremities. This morphometric similarity can be interpreted from either phylogenetic (recent divergence) or adaptive (similarities in habitat) perspectives.