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González Rodríguez E, Encinoso Quintana M, Morales Bordon D, Garcés JG, Artiles Nuez H, Jaber JR. Anatomical Description of Rhinoceros Iguana (Cyclura cornuta cornuta) Head by Computed Tomography, Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Gross-Sections. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13060955. [PMID: 36978497 PMCID: PMC10044561 DOI: 10.3390/ani13060955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2023] [Revised: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
In this paper, we attempted to elaborate on an atlas of the head of the rhinoceros iguana, applying modern imaging techniques such as CT and MRI. Furthermore, by combining the images acquired through these techniques with macroscopic anatomical sections, we obtained an adequate description of the relevant structures that form the head of this species. This anatomical information could provide a valuable diagnostic tool for the clinical evaluation of different pathological processes in iguanas such as abscesses and osteodystrophy secondary to nutrient imbalances, skull malformations, fractures, and neoplasia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eligia González Rodríguez
- Hospital Clínico Veterinario, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Trasmontaña, Arucas, 35413 Las Palmas, Spain
| | - Mario Encinoso Quintana
- Hospital Clínico Veterinario, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Trasmontaña, Arucas, 35413 Las Palmas, Spain
- Correspondence: (M.E.Q.); (J.R.J.)
| | - Daniel Morales Bordon
- Departamento de Patología Animal, Producción Animal, Bromatología y Tecnología de los Alimentos, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Trasmontaña, Arucas, 35413 Las Palmas, Spain
| | | | | | - José Raduan Jaber
- Departamento de Morfología, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Trasmontaña, Arucas, 35413 Las Palmas, Spain
- Correspondence: (M.E.Q.); (J.R.J.)
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Anatomical Description of Loggerhead Turtle ( Caretta caretta) and Green Iguana ( Iguana iguana) Skull by Three-Dimensional Computed Tomography Reconstruction and Maximum Intensity Projection Images. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13040621. [PMID: 36830407 PMCID: PMC9951731 DOI: 10.3390/ani13040621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2022] [Revised: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/04/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The growing interest in reptiles has posed a challenge to veterinary clinicians due to the lack of a standardized system to perform anatomical studies similar to those used for dogs and cats. In this paper, we have attempted to describe, employing computed tomography and subsequent three-dimensional reconstructions, the normal anatomical features that comprise the skulls of two species of reptiles: the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) and the green iguana (Iguana iguana). Computed tomography (CT) and subsequent image processing allowed the identification of the bony structures that comprise the head of these species. As a result, and based on previous articles, we propose the most significant anatomical differences and similarities between these species.
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Brownstein CD, Meyer DL, Fabbri M, Bhullar BAS, Gauthier JA. Evolutionary origins of the prolonged extant squamate radiation. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7087. [PMID: 36446761 PMCID: PMC9708687 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34217-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Squamata is the most diverse clade of terrestrial vertebrates. Although the origin of pan-squamates lies in the Triassic, the oldest undisputed members of extant clades known from nearly complete, uncrushed material come from the Cretaceous. Here, we describe three-dimensionally preserved partial skulls of two new crown lizards from the Late Jurassic of North America. Both species are placed at the base of the skink, girdled, and night lizard clade Pan-Scincoidea, which consistently occupies a position deep inside the squamate crown in both morphological and molecular phylogenies. The new lizards show that several features uniting pan-scincoids with another major lizard clade, the pan-lacertoids, in trees using morphology were convergently acquired as predicted by molecular analyses. Further, the palate of one new lizard bears a handful of ancestral saurian characteristics lost in nearly all extant squamates, revealing an underappreciated degree of complex morphological evolution in the early squamate crown. We find strong evidence for close relationships between the two new species and Cretaceous taxa from Eurasia. Together, these results suggest that early crown squamates had a wide geographic distribution and experienced complicated morphological evolution even while the Rhynchocephalia, now solely represented by the tuatara, was the dominant clade of lepidosaurs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chase D. Brownstein
- grid.47100.320000000419368710Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT USA ,Stamford Museum and Nature Center, Stamford, CT USA
| | - Dalton L. Meyer
- grid.47100.320000000419368710Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT USA
| | - Matteo Fabbri
- grid.47100.320000000419368710Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT USA ,grid.299784.90000 0001 0476 8496Negaunee Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL USA
| | - Bhart-Anjan S. Bhullar
- grid.47100.320000000419368710Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT USA ,grid.47100.320000000419368710Yale Peabody Museum, Yale University, New Haven, CT USA
| | - Jacques A. Gauthier
- grid.47100.320000000419368710Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT USA ,grid.47100.320000000419368710Yale Peabody Museum, Yale University, New Haven, CT USA
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Yánez-Muñoz MH, Torres-Carvajal O, Reyes-Puig JP, Urgiles-Merchán MA, Koch C. A new and very spiny lizard (Gymnophthalmidae: Echinosaura) from the Andes in northwestern Ecuador. PeerJ 2021; 9:e12523. [PMID: 34966579 PMCID: PMC8667736 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
We describe a new species of Neotropical spiny-lizard of the genus Echinosaura from the Imbabura and Carchi Provinces on the western slopes of the Andes in northwestern Ecuador. The new species mostly resembles E. horrida. However, it can be distinguished from all congeners by having keeled enlarged dorsal scales forming a paired vertebral row, two paravertebral series of short oblique rows of projecting scales, and a pair of spine-like scales on temporal and nuchal regions. We also provide a detailed description of the osteology of the skull and pectoral girdle of the new species and present a phylogenetic hypothesis for Echinosaura based on three mitochondrial genes (12S, 16S, ND4) and one nuclear gene (c-mos).
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario H Yánez-Muñoz
- Unidad de Investigación, Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INABIO), Quito, Ecuador.,Fundación Ecominga Red de Protección de Bosques Amenazados, Fundación Oscar Efrén Reyes, Departamento de Ambiente, Baños, Ecuador
| | - Omar Torres-Carvajal
- Museo de Zoología, Escuela de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Juan P Reyes-Puig
- Unidad de Investigación, Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INABIO), Quito, Ecuador.,Fundación Ecominga Red de Protección de Bosques Amenazados, Fundación Oscar Efrén Reyes, Departamento de Ambiente, Baños, Ecuador
| | | | - Claudia Koch
- Herpetology, Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig (ZFMK), Bonn, Germany
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Ledesma DT, Scarpetta SG, Bell CJ. Variation in the skulls of Elgaria and Gerrhonotus (Anguidae, Gerrhonotinae) and implications for phylogenetics and fossil identification. PeerJ 2021; 9:e11602. [PMID: 34327052 PMCID: PMC8310624 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.11602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND There are limited data on intra- and interspecific osteological variation for many squamate clades. Those data are relevant for phylogenetic analyses that use osteological characters and for apomorphic identifications of fossils. We investigate whether morphological features in the skulls of extant gerrhonotine lizards can be used to distinguish taxa at the species- and genus-level and assess whether newly discovered intra- and interspecific osteological variation alters the utility of previously reported apomorphic features. We examined skulls of species belonging to the gerrhonotine genera Elgaria and Gerrhonotus. These genera contain 17 extant species, but the cranial osteology of only a few species was previously examined. As a result, intra- and interspecific osteological variation of these gerrhonotines is poorly understood. METHODS We employed high-resolution x-ray computed tomography (CT) to scan 25 alcohol-preserved specimens. We provide data on the skulls of all eight species of Elgaria, four for the first time, and five species of Gerrhonotus, three for the first time. We examined 3-D reconstructed skulls of the scanned specimens as well as dry, traditionally prepared skeletons (when they were available). RESULTS We found that the purported diagnostic utility of many previously described morphological features is impacted because of substantial morphological variation between and within species. We present an assessment of osteological differences that may be useful to differentiate species of Elgaria and Gerrhonotus, many of which are present on isolated cranial elements commonly recovered as fossils, including the premaxilla, maxilla, parietal, pterygoid, prootic, dentary, and surangular. We demonstrate the importance of documenting patterns of osteological variation using large sample sizes, and the utility of examining disarticulated cranial elements of the squamate skull to identify diagnostic morphology. This study adds to a growing body of literature suggesting that extensive documentation of morphological variation is needed to further our understanding of the phylogenetic and diagnostic utility of morphological features across vertebrate clades. Efforts in that direction likely will benefit from examination of disarticulated skeletal elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- David T. Ledesma
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States
| | - Simon G. Scarpetta
- Department of Geological Sciences, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States
| | - Christopher J. Bell
- Department of Geological Sciences, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States
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Gurgis GP, Daza JD, Brennan IG, Hutchinson M, Bauer AM, Stocker MR, Olori JC. Ecomorphometric Analysis of Diversity in Cranial Shape of Pygopodid Geckos. Integr Org Biol 2021; 3:obab013. [PMID: 34377940 PMCID: PMC8341893 DOI: 10.1093/iob/obab013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Pygopodids are elongate, functionally limbless geckos found throughout Australia. The clade presents low taxonomic diversity (∼45 spp.), but a variety of cranial morphologies, habitat use, and locomotor abilities that vary between and within genera. In order to assess potential relationships between cranial morphology and ecology, computed tomography scans of 29 species were used for 3D geometric morphometric analysis. A combination of 24 static landmarks and 20 sliding semi-landmarks were subjected to Generalized Procrustes Alignment. Disparity in cranial shape was visualized through Principal Component Analysis, and a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to test for an association between shape, habitat, and diet. A subset of 27 species with well-resolved phylogenetic relationships was used to generate a phylomorphospace and conduct phylogeny-corrected MANOVA. Similar analyses were done solely on Aprasia taxa to explore species-level variation. Most of the variation across pygopodids was described by principal component (PC) 1(54%: cranial roof width, parabasisphenoid, and occipital length), PC2 (12%: snout elongation and braincase width), and PC3 (6%: elongation and shape of the palate and rostrum). Without phylogenetic correction, both habitat and diet were significant influencers of variation in cranial morphology. However, in the phylogeny-corrected MANOVA, habitat remained weakly significant, but not diet, which can be explained by generic-level differences in ecology rather than among species. Our results demonstrate that at higher levels, phylogeny has a strong effect on morphology, but that influence may be due to small sample size when comparing genera. However, because some closely related taxa occupy distant regions of morphospace, diverging diets, and use of fossorial habitats may contribute to variation seen in these geckos.
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Affiliation(s)
- George P Gurgis
- Department of Biological Sciences, State University of New York at Oswego, Oswego, NY, USA
| | - Juan D Daza
- Deparment of Biological Sciences, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX, USA
| | - Ian G Brennan
- Division of Ecology & Evolution, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Mark Hutchinson
- Biological and Earth Sciences, South Australian Museum, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Aaron M Bauer
- Department of Biology and Center for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Stewardship, Villanova University, Villanova, PA, USA
| | | | - Jennifer C Olori
- Department of Biological Sciences, State University of New York at Oswego, Oswego, NY, USA
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Cranial Structure of Varanus komodoensis as Revealed by Computed-Tomographic Imaging. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11041078. [PMID: 33918974 PMCID: PMC8070356 DOI: 10.3390/ani11041078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Revised: 04/05/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary We investigated the head of Komodo dragons using CT imaging. Cross-sections show that all cranial bones can be delineated, while soft tissue structures are evident but not clearly identifiable without an anatomical atlas. Additional three-dimensional reconstructed and maximum intensity projection images of the head were presented to depict bony structures. The anatomical structures identified on the CT images could help further assess the head of the Komodo dragon. Abstract This study aimed to describe the anatomic features of the normal head of the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) identified by computed tomography. CT images were obtained in two dragons using a helical CT scanner. All sections were displayed with a bone and soft tissue windows setting. Head reconstructed, and maximum intensity projection images were obtained to enhance bony structures. After CT imaging, the images were compared with other studies and reptile anatomy textbooks to facilitate the interpretation of the CT images. Anatomic details of the head of the Komodo dragon were identified according to the CT density characteristics of the different organic tissues. This information is intended to be a useful initial anatomic reference in interpreting clinical CT imaging studies of the head and associated structures in live Komodo dragons.
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Hernández Morales C, Sturaro MJ, Nunes PMS, Lotzkat S, Peloso PLV. A species-level total evidence phylogeny of the microteiid lizard family Alopoglossidae (Squamata: Gymnophthalmoidea). Cladistics 2020; 36:301-321. [PMID: 34618959 DOI: 10.1111/cla.12407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Alopoglossidae is a family of Neotropical lizards composed of 23 species allocated in two genera (Alopoglossus and Ptychoglossus). There is a lack of knowledge about the phylogenetic relationships and systematics of this family. Published phylogenies that include alopoglossid species have very low taxon coverage within the family, and are usually based on limited character sampling. Considering these shortcomings, we infer the phylogenetic relationships of Alopoglossidae-including all but one species in the family-based on the combined analyses of DNA sequences and morphological characters. We use four loci (the mitochondrial 12S, 16S and ND4; the nuclear C-mos) and a matrix of 143 phenotypic characters from scutellation, tongue morphology, hemipenis morphology, and osteology. The dataset is analyzed with Maximum Parsimony, with four alternative weighting schemes: three under Extended Implied Weighting, and one with equal weighting. The respective resulting topologies are compared in a sensitivity analysis framework. Our analyses support the paraphyly of Ptychoglossus, with Alopoglossus nested within it. We provide an updated classification for the family, where Ptychoglossus Boulenger, 1890 is considered a junior synonym of Alopoglossus Boulenger, 1885.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristian Hernández Morales
- Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Coordenação de Zoologia, Avenida Perimetral, 1901, Terra-Firme, CEP 66077-530, Belém, Pará, Brazil.,Department of Biological Sciences, Sam Houston State University, 1900 Avenue I, Huntsville, TX, 77341, USA.,Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Rua Augusto Corrêa, 01, Guamá, CEP 66075-110, Belém, Pará, Brazil
| | - Marcelo J Sturaro
- Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Coordenação de Zoologia, Avenida Perimetral, 1901, Terra-Firme, CEP 66077-530, Belém, Pará, Brazil.,Departamento de Ecologia e Biologia Evolutiva, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Av. Professor Artur Riedel, 275, Jardim Eldorado, CEP 09972-270, Diadema, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Pedro M Sales Nunes
- Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Av. Professor Moraes Rego s/n, Cidade Universitária, 50670-901, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - Sebastian Lotzkat
- Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart, Rosenstein 1, 70191, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Pedro L V Peloso
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Rua Augusto Corrêa, 01, Guamá, CEP 66075-110, Belém, Pará, Brazil
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Holovacs NT, Daza JD, Guerra C, Stanley EL, Montero R. You Can't Run, but You Can Hide: The Skeleton of the Sand-Swimmer Lizard Calyptommatus leiolepis (Squamata: Gymnophthalmidae). Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2019; 303:1305-1326. [PMID: 31469501 DOI: 10.1002/ar.24246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2019] [Revised: 05/14/2019] [Accepted: 06/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Squamates exhibit a vast diversity of body plans, which directly determines habitat use and preference. Here the skeleton of the sand-swimmer burrower gymnophthalmid, Calyptommatus leiolepis, is analyzed to investigate how its peculiar fossorial locomotion affects its osteology. Calyptommatus leiolepis is a limb-reduced, short-intermediate tailed lizard. Although there are other studies on its general anatomy, we performed a detailed description of its skeleton. Using high-resolution computer tomography, each bone element within the skeleton was digitally segmented and a detailed description rendered. Anatomical features related to burrowing include the head having a shovel-like snout with a well-developed horizontal soft tissue ridge, nasal cartilages that exclude sand from the nostrils, reduced eyes covered by a brille, lack of forelimbs, extreme reduction of hind limbs, and imbricated scales among others. The genus Calyptommatus has unique features such as a triradiate jugal (with digit-like posterior projections), a reduced pectoral girdle and forelimbs, parasternal processes that interconnect the ribs, and a single digit in the hind limbs. When comparing this species with other gymnophthalmid lizards including, fossorial species, it is clear that Calyptommatus exhibits the highest number of structural modifications within the family. Despite its specialized morphology, it still retains characters that link this genus to other members of Gymnophthalmidae when included in a phylogeny based solely on phenotypic data. Anat Rec, 303:1305-1326, 2020. © 2019 American Association for Anatomy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas T Holovacs
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas
| | - Juan D Daza
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas
| | - Cecilia Guerra
- Cátedra Vertebrados, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Instituto de Herpetología, Fundación Miguel Lillo, Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Edward L Stanley
- Department of Herpetology, Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Ricardo Montero
- Cátedra Vertebrados, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Instituto de Herpetología, Fundación Miguel Lillo, Tucumán, Argentina
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