A comprehensive identification protocol for postcranial bones of Southeast Asian Ruminantia. Part 2: Morphological criteria for small and medium-sized species
- 1Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier, Universite de Montpellier, CNRS, IRD - Montpellier, France
Abstract
The taxonomic identification of postcranial elements from small and medium-sized ruminants represents a significant challenge in zooarchaeological and Late Quaternary paleontological studies, particularly in biodiversity-rich regions such as continental Southeast Asia. This study presents a comprehensive osteological reference framework for the small and medium-sized Ruminantia of this region, based on a comparative sample of 228 specimens representing 14 species across three families (Bovidae, Cervidae, and Moschidae). Osteological characters were first described on a small initial specimen set and subsequently scored across the full sample. Although a small number of character states were found to be unique to specific taxa, most proved highly variable, limiting their individual identification potential. To address this, a Random Forest and a Naive Bayes classifier were applied to assess the discriminatory power of character combinations across four taxonomic ranks (Family, Subfamily, Genus, and Species) on independent bones. Both approaches performed similarly, achieving mean identification accuracies of 87-86% at the family level, 69% at the subfamily level, 50% at the genus level, and 35-33% at the species level. The Naive Bayes models were further deployed as an interactive web application, allowing users to perform bone identification based on any combination of observable character states from a single anatomical element. Our results highlight the limits of morphological identification of postcranial elements in this taxonomic and biogeographic context, while demonstrating that a transparent, reproducible, and statistically grounded approach can still represent a significant step forward for zooarchaeological and Late Quaternary paleontological studies in Southeast Asia and beyond.
Related
- A comprehensive identification protocol for postcranial bones of Southeast Asian Ruminantia. Part 3: Morphological criteria for large-sized species
- First report of Helicotylenchus microlobus, Mesocriconema nebraskense and Meloidogyne naasi from turfgrass in Utah, USA, based on comprehensive morphological, morphometric, and molecular data
- Genetic and genomic insights into morphological defects in nellore cattle: a comprehensive review.
- Comprehensive identification, characterization, and stress response analysis of the ZmSPL gene family in maize (Zea mays L.)
- Genome-Wide Identification of the Castanea mollissima MADS-Box Gene Family and Its Potential Roles in Female Flower Development Based on Transcriptomic and Morphological Analyses
BibTeX
@misc{mithong2026comprehensive,
title = {{A comprehensive identification protocol for postcranial bones of Southeast Asian Ruminantia. Part 2: Morphological criteria for small and medium-sized species}},
author = {S. Mithong and S. Chantasri and J. Claude and P. Seesod and C. Bochaton},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.64898/2026.10.23.761334},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.23.761334v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - A comprehensive identification protocol for postcranial bones of Southeast Asian Ruminantia. Part 2: Morphological criteria for small and medium-sized species
AU - S. Mithong
AU - S. Chantasri
AU - J. Claude
AU - P. Seesod
AU - C. Bochaton
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/23
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.10.23.761334
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.23.761334v1
AB - The taxonomic identification of postcranial elements from small and medium-sized ruminants represents a significant challenge in zooarchaeological and Late Quaternary paleontological studies, particularly in biodiversity-rich regions such as continental Southeast Asia. This study presents a comprehensive osteological reference framework for the small and medium-sized Ruminantia of this region, based on a comparative sample of 228 specimens representing 14 species across three families (Bovidae, Cervidae, and Moschidae). Osteological characters were first described on a small initial specimen set and subsequently scored across the full sample. Although a small number of character states were found to be unique to specific taxa, most proved highly variable, limiting their individual identification potential. To address this, a Random Forest and a Naive Bayes classifier were applied to assess the discriminatory power of character combinations across four taxonomic ranks (Family, Subfamily, Genus, and Species) on independent bones. Both approaches performed similarly, achieving mean identification accuracies of 87-86% at the family level, 69% at the subfamily level, 50% at the genus level, and 35-33% at the species level. The Naive Bayes models were further deployed as an interactive web application, allowing users to perform bone identification based on any combination of observable character states from a single anatomical element. Our results highlight the limits of morphological identification of postcranial elements in this taxonomic and biogeographic context, while demonstrating that a transparent, reproducible, and statistically grounded approach can still represent a significant step forward for zooarchaeological and Late Quaternary paleontological studies in Southeast Asia and beyond.
ER -