Summary
Relatively few studies have been
conducted on sexual dimorphism in Diploderma species, although
previous studies suggested that male-biased sexual dimorphism was the
dominant pattern in the genus (Kuo et al., 2009; Xiong et al., 2022). In
the present study, D. batangense showed male-biased sexual
dimorphism in morphology and bite force, consistent with the sexual
selection hypothesis. Furthermore, the best predictors of bite force
differed between the sexes (ML in males and HW in females). However, it
remains unclear how the intrinsic skull and muscle structures affect
bite force in this species. As such,
further anatomical analysis of the head structure is required, together
with intraspecific (sex) comparisons of body color, behavior, and
resource use (diet and microhabitat). In addition, given the high
diversity of species and habitats in the genus, further study on
interspecific differences in bite force among species in different
habitats is necessary.