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Bazzana KD, Evans DC, Bevitt JJ, Reisz RR. Neurosensory anatomy of Varanopidae and its implications for early synapsid evolution. J Anat 2022; 240:833-849. [PMID: 34775594 PMCID: PMC9005680 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Revised: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Varanopids are a group of Palaeozoic terrestrial amniotes which represent one of the earliest-diverging groups of synapsids, but their palaeoneurology has gone largely unstudied and recent analyses have challenged their traditional placement within synapsids. We utilized computed tomography (CT) to study the virtual cranial and otic endocasts of six varanopids, including representative taxa of both mycterosaurines and varanodontines. Our results show that the varanopid brain is largely plesiomorphic, being tubular in shape and showing no expansion of the cerebrum or olfactory bulbs, but is distinct in showing highly expanded floccular fossae. The housing of the varanopid bony labyrinth is also distinct, in that the labyrinth is bounded almost entirely by the supraoccipital-opisthotic complex, with the prootic only bordering the ventral portion of the vestibule. The bony labyrinth is surprisingly well-ossified, clearly preserving the elliptical, sub-orthogonal canals, prominent ampullae, and the short, undifferentiated vestibule; this high degree of ossification is similar to that seen in therapsid synapsids and supports the traditional placement of varanopids within Synapsida. The enlarged anterior canal, together with the elliptical, orthogonal canals and enlarged floccular fossa, lend support for the fast head movements indicated by the inferred predatory feeding mode of varanopids. Reconstructed neurosensory anatomy indicates that varanopids may have a much lower-frequency hearing range compared to more derived synapsids, suggesting that, despite gaining some active predatory features, varanopids retain plesiomorphic hearing capabilities. As a whole, our data reveal that the neuroanatomy of pelycosaur-grade synapsids is far more complex than previously anticipated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kayla D. Bazzana
- Department of BiologyUniversity of Toronto MississaugaMississaugaCanada
- Department of Natural HistoryRoyal Ontario MuseumTorontoCanada
| | - David C. Evans
- Department of Natural HistoryRoyal Ontario MuseumTorontoCanada
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of TorontoTorontoCanada
| | - Joseph J. Bevitt
- Australian Centre for Neutron ScatteringAustralian Nuclear Science and Technology OrganisationLucas HeightsNew South WhalesAustralia
| | - Robert R. Reisz
- Department of BiologyUniversity of Toronto MississaugaMississaugaCanada
- International Center of Future ScienceDinosaur Evolution Research CenterJilin UniversityChangchunJilin ProvinceChina
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Bernardi M, Couette S, Chateau Smith C, Montuire S. Middle ear pneumatization in nonhuman primates: A comparative analysis. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2019; 169:540-556. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2018] [Revised: 12/03/2018] [Accepted: 04/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Margot Bernardi
- EPHEPSL Research University Paris Paris France
- Biogéosciences, UMR 6282 CNRSUniversité Bourgogne Franche‐Comté Dijon France
| | - Sébastien Couette
- EPHEPSL Research University Paris Paris France
- Biogéosciences, UMR 6282 CNRSUniversité Bourgogne Franche‐Comté Dijon France
| | | | - Sophie Montuire
- EPHEPSL Research University Paris Paris France
- Biogéosciences, UMR 6282 CNRSUniversité Bourgogne Franche‐Comté Dijon France
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Fabre PH, Tilak MK, Denys C, Gaubert P, Nicolas V, Douzery EJP, Marivaux L. Flightless scaly-tailed squirrels never learned how to fly: A reappraisal of Anomaluridae phylogeny. ZOOL SCR 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/zsc.12286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pierre-Henri Fabre
- Institut des Sciences de l’Évolution de Montpellier (ISE-M, UMR 5554, CNRS/UM/IRD/EPHE); c.c. 064; Université de Montpellier; Montpellier France
- National Museum of Natural History; Smithsonian Institution; Washington DC USA
| | - Marie-Ka Tilak
- Institut des Sciences de l’Évolution de Montpellier (ISE-M, UMR 5554, CNRS/UM/IRD/EPHE); c.c. 064; Université de Montpellier; Montpellier France
| | - Christiane Denys
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité; ISYEB - UMR 7205, CNRS, MNHN, UPMC, EPHE; Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle; Sorbonne Universités; Paris France
| | - Philippe Gaubert
- Institut des Sciences de l’Évolution de Montpellier (ISE-M, UMR 5554, CNRS/UM/IRD/EPHE); c.c. 064; Université de Montpellier; Montpellier France
- Laboratoire Evolution et Diversité Biologique (EDB) - UPS-CNRS- IRD; Université Paul Sabatier; Toulouse France
| | - Violaine Nicolas
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité; ISYEB - UMR 7205, CNRS, MNHN, UPMC, EPHE; Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle; Sorbonne Universités; Paris France
| | - Emmanuel J. P. Douzery
- Institut des Sciences de l’Évolution de Montpellier (ISE-M, UMR 5554, CNRS/UM/IRD/EPHE); c.c. 064; Université de Montpellier; Montpellier France
| | - Laurent Marivaux
- Institut des Sciences de l’Évolution de Montpellier (ISE-M, UMR 5554, CNRS/UM/IRD/EPHE); c.c. 064; Université de Montpellier; Montpellier France
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Phylogenetic and functional implications of the ear region anatomy of Glossotherium robustum (Xenarthra, Mylodontidae) from the Late Pleistocene of Argentina. Naturwissenschaften 2018; 105:28. [DOI: 10.1007/s00114-018-1548-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2017] [Revised: 02/21/2018] [Accepted: 02/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
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Dickson BV, Sherratt E, Losos JB, Pierce SE. Semicircular canals in Anolis lizards: ecomorphological convergence and ecomorph affinities of fossil species. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2017; 4:170058. [PMID: 29134056 PMCID: PMC5666239 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.170058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2017] [Accepted: 09/08/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Anolis lizards are a model system for the study of adaptive radiation and convergent evolution. Greater Antillean anoles have repeatedly evolved six similar forms or ecomorphs: crown-giant, grass-bush, twig, trunk, trunk-crown and trunk-ground. Members of each ecomorph category possess a specific set of morphological, ecological and behavioural characteristics which have been acquired convergently. Here we test whether the semicircular canal system-the organ of balance during movement-is also convergent among ecomorphs, reflecting the shared sensory requirements of their ecological niches. As semicircular canal shape has been shown to reflect different locomotor strategies, we hypothesized that each Anolis ecomorph would have a unique canal morphology. Using three-dimensional semilandmarks and geometric morphometrics, semicircular canal shape was characterized in 41 Anolis species from the Greater Antilles and the relationship between canal shape and ecomorph grouping, phylogenetic history, size, head dimensions, and perch characteristics was assessed. Further, canal morphology of modern species was used to predict the ecomorph affinity of five fossil anoles from the Miocene of the Dominican Republic. Of the covariates tested, our study recovered ecomorph as the single-most important covariate of canal morphology in modern taxa; although phylogenetic history, size, and head dimensions also showed a small, yet significant correlation with shape. Surprisingly, perch characteristics were not found to be significant covariates of canal shape, even though they are important habitat variables. Using posterior probabilities, we found that the fossil anoles have different semicircular canals shapes to modern ecomorph groupings implying extinct anoles may have been interacting with their Miocene environment in different ways to modern Anolis species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blake V. Dickson
- Museum of Comparative Zoology and Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Emma Sherratt
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Jonathan B. Losos
- Museum of Comparative Zoology and Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Stephanie E. Pierce
- Museum of Comparative Zoology and Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
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Bernardi M, Couette S. Eocene Paleoecology ofAdapis parisiensis(Primate, Adapidae): From Inner Ear to Lifestyle. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2017; 300:1576-1588. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.23609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2016] [Revised: 02/03/2017] [Accepted: 02/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Margot Bernardi
- EPHE, PSL Research University, Paris; Dijon 21000 France
- Biogéosciences, UMR CNRS 6282; Univ Bourgogne Franche-Comté; 6 Bd Gabriel Dijon 21000 France
| | - Sébastien Couette
- EPHE, PSL Research University, Paris; Dijon 21000 France
- Biogéosciences, UMR CNRS 6282; Univ Bourgogne Franche-Comté; 6 Bd Gabriel Dijon 21000 France
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Boyer DM, Kirk EC, Silcox MT, Gunnell GF, Gilbert CC, Yapuncich GS, Allen KL, Welch E, Bloch JI, Gonzales LA, Kay RF, Seiffert ER. Internal carotid arterial canal size and scaling in Euarchonta: Re-assessing implications for arterial patency and phylogenetic relationships in early fossil primates. J Hum Evol 2016; 97:123-44. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2016.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2016] [Revised: 06/03/2016] [Accepted: 06/04/2016] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
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Abstract
The inner ear of mammals consists of the cochlea, which is involved with the sense of hearing, and the vestibule and three semicircular canals, which are involved with the sense of balance. Although different regions of the inner ear contribute to different functions, the bony chambers and membranous ducts are morphologically continuous. The gross anatomy of the cochlea that has been related to auditory physiologies includes overall size of the structure, including volume and total spiral length, development of internal cochlear structures, including the primary and secondary bony laminae, morphology of the spiral nerve ganglion, and the nature of cochlear coiling, including total number of turns completed by the cochlear canal and the relative diameters of the basal and apical turns. The overall sizes, shapes, and orientations of the semicircular canals are related to sensitivity to head rotations and possibly locomotor behaviors. Intraspecific variation, primarily in the shape and orientation of the semicircular canals, may provide additional clues to help us better understand form and function of the inner ear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric G. Ekdale
- Department of BiologySan Diego State UniversitySan DiegoCAUSA
- Department of PaleontologySan Diego Natural History MuseumSan DiegoCAUSA
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Marivaux L, Essid EM, Marzougui W, Khayati Ammar H, Merzeraud G, Tabuce R, Vianey-Liaud M. The early evolutionary history of anomaluroid rodents in Africa: new dental remains of a zegdoumyid (Zegdoumyidae, Anomaluroidea) from the Eocene of Tunisia. ZOOL SCR 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/zsc.12095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Laurent Marivaux
- Laboratoire de Paléontologie; Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution de Montpellier (ISE-M, UMR 5554, CNRS/UM2/IRD); c.c. 064, Université Montpellier 2, place Eugène Bataillon F-34095 Montpellier Cedex 05 France
| | - El Mabrouk Essid
- Office National des Mines (ONM); 24 rue 8601, 2035 La Charguia BP: 215 - 1080 Tunis Tunisia
| | - Wissem Marzougui
- Office National des Mines (ONM); 24 rue 8601, 2035 La Charguia BP: 215 - 1080 Tunis Tunisia
| | - Hayet Khayati Ammar
- Office National des Mines (ONM); 24 rue 8601, 2035 La Charguia BP: 215 - 1080 Tunis Tunisia
| | - Gilles Merzeraud
- Géosciences Montpellier (UMR-CNRS 5243); c.c. 060, Université Montpellier 2, Place Eugène Bataillon F-34095 Montpellier Cedex 05 France
| | - Rodolphe Tabuce
- Laboratoire de Paléontologie; Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution de Montpellier (ISE-M, UMR 5554, CNRS/UM2/IRD); c.c. 064, Université Montpellier 2, place Eugène Bataillon F-34095 Montpellier Cedex 05 France
| | - Monique Vianey-Liaud
- Laboratoire de Paléontologie; Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution de Montpellier (ISE-M, UMR 5554, CNRS/UM2/IRD); c.c. 064, Université Montpellier 2, place Eugène Bataillon F-34095 Montpellier Cedex 05 France
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Marivaux L, Essid EM, Marzougui W, Khayati Ammar H, Adnet S, Marandat B, Merzeraud G, Ramdarshan A, Tabuce R, Vianey-Liaud M, Yans J. A morphological intermediate between eosimiiform and simiiform primates from the late middle Eocene of Tunisia: Macroevolutionary and paleobiogeographic implications of early anthropoids. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2014; 154:387-401. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2014] [Accepted: 04/18/2014] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Laurent Marivaux
- Laboratoire de Paléontologie; Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution de Montpellier (ISE-M, UMR 5554, CNRS, UM2, IRD), c.c. 064, Université Montpellier 2; F-34095 Montpellier Cedex 05 France
| | - El Mabrouk Essid
- Office National des Mines (ONM); Tunis BP: 215 - 1080 Tunis Tunisia
| | - Wissem Marzougui
- Office National des Mines (ONM); Tunis BP: 215 - 1080 Tunis Tunisia
| | | | - Sylvain Adnet
- Laboratoire de Paléontologie; Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution de Montpellier (ISE-M, UMR 5554, CNRS, UM2, IRD), c.c. 064, Université Montpellier 2; F-34095 Montpellier Cedex 05 France
| | - Bernard Marandat
- Laboratoire de Paléontologie; Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution de Montpellier (ISE-M, UMR 5554, CNRS, UM2, IRD), c.c. 064, Université Montpellier 2; F-34095 Montpellier Cedex 05 France
| | - Gilles Merzeraud
- Géosciences Montpellier (UMR-CNRS 5243); c.c. 060, Université Montpellier 2; F-34095 Montpellier Cedex 05 France
| | - Anusha Ramdarshan
- Laboratoire de Paléontologie; Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution de Montpellier (ISE-M, UMR 5554, CNRS, UM2, IRD), c.c. 064, Université Montpellier 2; F-34095 Montpellier Cedex 05 France
| | - Rodolphe Tabuce
- Laboratoire de Paléontologie; Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution de Montpellier (ISE-M, UMR 5554, CNRS, UM2, IRD), c.c. 064, Université Montpellier 2; F-34095 Montpellier Cedex 05 France
| | - Monique Vianey-Liaud
- Laboratoire de Paléontologie; Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution de Montpellier (ISE-M, UMR 5554, CNRS, UM2, IRD), c.c. 064, Université Montpellier 2; F-34095 Montpellier Cedex 05 France
| | - Johan Yans
- Department of Geology; University of Namur; NaGRIDD B-5000 Namur Belgium
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Marivaux L, Ramdarshan A, Essid EM, Marzougui W, Ammar HK, Lebrun R, Marandat B, Merzeraud G, Tabuce R, Vianey-Liaud M. Djebelemur, a tiny pre-tooth-combed primate from the Eocene of Tunisia: a glimpse into the origin of crown strepsirhines. PLoS One 2013; 8:e80778. [PMID: 24324627 PMCID: PMC3851781 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0080778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2013] [Accepted: 10/07/2013] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Molecular clock estimates of crown strepsirhine origins generally advocate an ancient antiquity for Malagasy lemuriforms and Afro-Asian lorisiforms, near the onset of the Tertiary but most often extending back to the Late Cretaceous. Despite their inferred early origin, the subsequent evolutionary histories of both groups (except for the Malagasy aye-aye lineage) exhibit a vacuum of lineage diversification during most part of the Eocene, followed by a relative acceleration in diversification from the late Middle Eocene. This early evolutionary stasis was tentatively explained by the possibility of unrecorded lineage extinctions during the early Tertiary. However, this prevailing molecular view regarding the ancient origin and early diversification of crown strepsirhines must be viewed with skepticism due to the new but still scarce paleontological evidence gathered in recent years. METHODOLOGICAL/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Here, we describe new fossils attributable to Djebelemur martinezi, a≈50 Ma primate from Tunisia (Djebel Chambi). This taxon was originally interpreted as a cercamoniine adapiform based on limited information from its lower dentition. The new fossils provide anatomical evidence demonstrating that Djebelemur was not an adapiform but clearly a distant relative of lemurs, lorises and galagos. Cranial, dental and postcranial remains indicate that this diminutive primate was likely nocturnal, predatory (primarily insectivorous), and engaged in a form of generalized arboreal quadrupedalism with frequent horizontal leaping. Djebelemur did not have an anterior lower dentition as specialized as that characterizing most crown strepsirhines (i.e., tooth-comb), but it clearly exhibited a transformed antemolar pattern representing an early stage of a crown strepsirhine-like adaptation ("pre-tooth-comb"). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE These new fossil data suggest that the differentiation of the tooth-comb must postdate the djebelemurid divergence, a view which hence constrains the timing of crown strepsirhine origins to the Middle Eocene, and then precludes the existence of unrecorded lineage extinctions of tooth-combed primates during the earliest Tertiary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurent Marivaux
- Laboratoire de Paléontologie, Institut des Sciences de l’Évolution de Montpellier (ISE-M, UMR-CNRS 5554), Université Montpellier 2, Montpellier, France
| | - Anusha Ramdarshan
- Laboratoire de Paléontologie, Institut des Sciences de l’Évolution de Montpellier (ISE-M, UMR-CNRS 5554), Université Montpellier 2, Montpellier, France
- Section of Vertebrate Paleontology, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | | | | | | | - Renaud Lebrun
- Laboratoire de Paléontologie, Institut des Sciences de l’Évolution de Montpellier (ISE-M, UMR-CNRS 5554), Université Montpellier 2, Montpellier, France
| | - Bernard Marandat
- Laboratoire de Paléontologie, Institut des Sciences de l’Évolution de Montpellier (ISE-M, UMR-CNRS 5554), Université Montpellier 2, Montpellier, France
| | - Gilles Merzeraud
- Géosciences Montpellier (UMR-CNRS 5243), Université Montpellier 2, Montpellier, France
| | - Rodolphe Tabuce
- Laboratoire de Paléontologie, Institut des Sciences de l’Évolution de Montpellier (ISE-M, UMR-CNRS 5554), Université Montpellier 2, Montpellier, France
| | - Monique Vianey-Liaud
- Laboratoire de Paléontologie, Institut des Sciences de l’Évolution de Montpellier (ISE-M, UMR-CNRS 5554), Université Montpellier 2, Montpellier, France
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