Morphometric divergence of Robertsonian populations/species ofMus: A multivariate analysis of size and shape

Summary The morphological divergence of Robertsonian populations from the Rhaetian Alps (2n=26, 2n=24 and 2n=22) was investigated by multivariate analysis of shape components of the mandible and scapula. These shape components were obtained by a specifically designed multivariate procedure that detects and negates variation in general size. Whilst allozymes frequencies fail to effectively distinguish between Robertsonian populations the above multivariate morphometric procedures showed that the Robertsonian populations are clearly morphometrically distinct and that this morphometric divergence is cladistically congruent with the chromosomal evolution. Given appropriate comparative material, the karyotype of a mouse from these populations can be predicted from the shape of its mandible.