Notes on the pattern of head size in the Philippine Spotted Flying Lizard, Draco spilopterus (Weigmann, 1834), within Luzon Biogeographic Region, Philippines

Abstract

Sexual head dimorphism is a condition where head morphology of male and female of the same species differ, which provides an additional way to recognise sex for species identification. Fifty four adult Philippine Spotted Flying Lizards, Draco spilopterus, were examined from four populations in the Luzon Island, Philippines to assess whether head morphometry can drive sexual dimorphism. We identified the sex and measured five morphometric measurements of the head (jaw length, jaw width, head height, head length, head width) and snout-vent length. A univariate analysis of the five morphometric measurements showed clear sexual dimorphism. Considering all individuals, female heads are significantly larger than those of males (all p-values < 0.05). We also revealed major differences in head size amongst the four populations due to their geographical location and habitat differences.