Skull variation in a shovel-headed amphisbaenian genus, inferred from the geometric morphometric analysis of five South American Leposternon species.

Abstract:

:Amphisabenia is a group of squamates adapted for a fossorial lifestyle. The skull is the animal's the main digging tool, and can present one of four principal shapes. The shovel-headed shape is considered to be the most specialized for digging. The South American genus Leposternon presents a shovel-headed morphotype, and is widely distributed on this continent. The general shovel-headed skull pattern may vary considerably, even within the same genus, and we hypothesized that this variation may be influenced primarily by body size and geographical factors. This study investigated the variation in skull size and shape among five Leposternon species, and examined the potential relationship between this variation and the size of the specimens and bioclimatic variables, through a geometric morphometric approach. Significant morphological variation was found among the species, and was also related systematically to body size and the geographical distribution of the specimens. As even subtle differences in the skull size or shape may represent significant modification in bite force and digging capacity and digging speed, the cranial variation found among the Leposternon species and specimens may have a direct influence on their diet and locomotor performance. Our results, together with direct observations of some of these species, suggest that shovel-headed amphisbaenians may be able to penetrate different soil types under a range of climatic conditions, especially considering the ample, but often sympatric distribution of the species studied here.

journal_name

J Morphol

journal_title

Journal of morphology

authors

Hohl LSL,Barros-Filho JD,Rocha-Barbosa O

doi

10.1002/jmor.20899

subject

Has Abstract

pub_date

2018-11-01 00:00:00

pages

1665-1678

issue

11

eissn

0362-2525

issn

1097-4687

journal_volume

279

pub_type

杂志文章
  • Formation of the septate junction in regenerating planarian gastrodermis.

    abstract::Septate junctions develop initially just basad from apical junctional complexes at the apical ends of regenerating gastrodermal cells. The first morphological indication of differentiation of the junction is the appearance of gentle undulations of the plasma membranes of apposing cells. Subsequently dense dots develop...

    journal_title:Journal of morphology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/jmor.1051920303

    authors: Hori I

    更新日期:1987-06-01 00:00:00

  • Lectin histochemistry of the hyaline layer around the larvae of Patiriella species (Asteroidea) with different developmental modes.

    abstract::Larvae of sea stars are surrounded by an extracellular matrix called the hyaline layer. The lectin-binding properties of this matrix were investigated in an ultrastructural study of Patiriella species having different modes of development. The planktonic bipinnaria and brachiolaria of P. regularis and the planktonic b...

    journal_title:Journal of morphology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/(SICI)1097-4687(199911)242:2<91::AID-JMOR2

    authors: Cerra A

    更新日期:1999-11-01 00:00:00

  • Morphology of congenital microphthalmia in chicks (Gallus gallus).

    abstract::This study examines the morphology of sporadic congenital microphthalmia in 1-day-old chicks, with particular emphasis on the neural retina. On the basis of the size of the eyeball it is possible to classify microphthalmia into two groups, severe and mild. In severe microphthalmia (less than 5 mm in equatorial diamete...

    journal_title:Journal of morphology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/jmor.1051990102

    authors: Ehrlich D,Stuchbery J,Zappia J

    更新日期:1989-01-01 00:00:00

  • Interspecific variation of ontogeny and skull shape among porpoises (Phocoenidae).

    abstract::All extant members of Phocoenidae (porpoises) have been characterized as pedomorphic based on skeletal characters. To investigate the ontogenetic background for pedomorphosis and assess interspecific differences in ontogeny among phocoenids, samples of the six extant species were compared in terms of development of bo...

    journal_title:Journal of morphology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/jmor.10900

    authors: Galatius A,Berta A,Frandsen MS,Goodall RN

    更新日期:2011-02-01 00:00:00

  • Chaetal arrangement provides no support for a close relationship of Sabellidae and Sabellariidae (Annelida).

    abstract::Sabellid and sabellariid polychaetes are regarded as sister groups in a number of recent phylogenetic analyses. This is based mainly on a shared specific arrangement of chaetae referred to as chaetal inversion. Remarkably, the uncini have a notopodial position in the abdomen, whereas capillary chaetae occur in the neu...

    journal_title:Journal of morphology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/jmor.10537

    authors: Kieselbach D,Hausen H

    更新日期:2008-01-01 00:00:00

  • Electron microscopic characterization of nuclear egress in the sea urchin gastrula.

    abstract::Nuclear egress, also referred to as nuclear envelope (NE) budding, is a process of transport in which vesicles containing molecular complexes or viral particles leave the nucleus through budding from the inner nuclear membrane (INM) to enter the perinuclear space. Following this event, the perinuclear vesicles (PNVs) ...

    journal_title:Journal of morphology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/jmor.20796

    authors: LaMassa N,Arenas-Mena C,Phillips GR

    更新日期:2018-05-01 00:00:00

  • New insights into the spermatogenesis of the black tiger prawn, Penaeus monodon.

    abstract::This study reports a comprehensive description of penaeid spermatogenesis (Penaeus monodon) by light and transmission electron microscopy. A conspicuous characteristic of spermatocytogenesis was a ring-like structure with high electron-density adjacent to the nucleus of a primary spermatocyte. During the spermiogenesi...

    journal_title:Journal of morphology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/jmor.20664

    authors: Feng T,Paterson B,Johnston SD

    更新日期:2017-05-01 00:00:00

  • Chemoreceptors in the cibario-pharyngeal pump of the cabbage looper moth, Trichoplusia ni (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

    abstract::The structure of contact chemoreceptors in the cibariopharyngeal pump of the moth Trichoplusia ni (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is described. Two types of receptors designated A and B are located on the floor of the pump. Two groups of 9-12 A receptors are located in the anterior part of the pump, and two groups of two B r...

    journal_title:Journal of morphology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/jmor.1051600103

    authors: Eaton JL

    更新日期:1979-04-01 00:00:00

  • Functional morphology of jaw trabeculation in the lesser electric ray Narcine brasiliensis, with comments on the evolution of structural support in the Batoidea.

    abstract::The design of minimum-weight structures that retain their integrity under dynamic loading regimes has long challenged engineers. One solution to this problem found in both human and biological design is the optimization of weight and strength by hollowing a structure and replacing its inner core with supportive struts...

    journal_title:Journal of morphology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/jmor.10302

    authors: Dean MN,Huber DR,Nance HA

    更新日期:2006-10-01 00:00:00

  • Structures on the antennal flagellum of a caddisfly, frenesia missa (Trichoptera, Limnephilidae).

    abstract::Non-innervated macrotrichia and microtrichia, thick-walled chemoreceptors and three kinds of thin-walled chemoreceptors are present on the antennal flagellum of Frenesia missa. One of the thin-walled receptors, the plate organ, is of a type not previously recorded for any insect. About four times as many plate organs ...

    journal_title:Journal of morphology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/jmor.1051350309

    authors: Slifer EH,Sekhon SS

    更新日期:1971-11-01 00:00:00

  • Viviparous development in Botrylloides (Compound Ascidians).

    abstract::The mode of sexual reproduction and embryogenesis was compared in 3 species of Botrylloides: B. simodensis, B. lenis, and B. violaceus. In all species, a testis and an egg (occasionally 2 eggs), the former being anterior to the latter, mature in the mantle on either side of a zooid. The egg is surrounded by 2 follicul...

    journal_title:Journal of morphology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/jmor.1051930305

    authors: Mukai H,Saito Y,Watanabe H

    更新日期:1987-09-01 00:00:00

  • Morphology-function relationships and repeatability in the sperm of Passer sparrows.

    abstract::Sperm performance is likely to be an important determinant of male reproductive success, especially when females copulate with multiple males. Understanding sperm performance is therefore crucial to fully understand the evolution of male reproductive strategies. In this study, we examined the repeatability of sperm mo...

    journal_title:Journal of morphology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/jmor.20346

    authors: Cramer ER,Laskemoen T,Stensrud E,Rowe M,Haas F,Lifjeld JT,Saetre GP,Johnsen A

    更新日期:2015-04-01 00:00:00

  • The nervous system in the praesoma of Echinorhynchus salmonis (Acanthocephala: Echinorhynchidae).

    abstract::Based on light microscopic observations, nerve pathways are described for the first time in the praesoma of a species of the Echinorhynchidae. The pathways are described for 18 nerves, 8 paired and 2 single, which originate from the cerebral ganglion and a post-ganglionic cell and terminate in the body wall musculatur...

    journal_title:Journal of morphology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/jmor.1052010306

    authors: Gee RJ

    更新日期:1989-09-01 00:00:00

  • Microvascularization and histomorphology of lateral line organs in adult Xenopus laevis.

    abstract::The microvasculariaztion of the lateral line organs (LLOs) of the adult pipid frog, Xenopus laevis was studied by scanning electron microscopy of vascular corrosion casts (VCCs) and correlative light microscopy of paraplast embedded tissues sections. Scanning electron micrographs of VCCs revealed that each neuromast w...

    journal_title:Journal of morphology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/jmor.20232

    authors: Gerlach N,Minnich B,Lametschwandtner A

    更新日期:2014-05-01 00:00:00

  • Morphogenetic and constructional differences of the carapace of aquatic and terrestrial turtles and their evolutionary significance.

    abstract::The postembryonic development of the turtle carapace was studied in the aquatic Еmys orbicularis and the terrestrial Тestudo graeca. Differences in the structure of the bony shell in aquatic and terrestrial turtles were shown to be associated with varying degrees of development of epidermal derivatives, namely, the th...

    journal_title:Journal of morphology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/jmor.21050

    authors: Cherepanov G

    更新日期:2019-10-01 00:00:00

  • Comparative limb myology of four arvicolid rodent genera (mammalia, rodentia).

    abstract::A comparative study of four genera of arvicolid rodents (Clethrionomys, Eothenomys, Alticola, and Synaptomys) presents the first complete description of limb myology for any member of this recently evolved, highly successful family. The study also identifies four forelimb and four hind-limb muscles that exhibit charac...

    journal_title:Journal of morphology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/jmor.1051870305

    authors: Stein BR

    更新日期:1986-03-01 00:00:00

  • Scanning and transmission electron microscopic observations on the larva of Halicryptus spinulosus (priapulida).

    abstract::The larvae of Halicryptus spinulosus bear six rings of sensory/ locomotory appendages. Twelve pedicellate flosculi, 6 dorsal and 6 ventral, are associated with the neck-lorica junction. Newly described are two rows of 4-5 flosculi present on the dorsal and ventral plates, and 2 tubuli located on each dorsolateral and ...

    journal_title:Journal of morphology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/jmor.1052100207

    authors: Storch V,Higgins RP

    更新日期:1991-11-01 00:00:00

  • Pharyngeal jaw morphology and homology in Sicydiine Gobies (Teleostei: Gobiidae) and allies.

    abstract::An extremely large number of fifth ceratobranchial teeth, with highly modified, striated, and hooked tips were observed in the central and western Pacific sicydiine goby genus Stiphodon.A scanning electron microscopic study of the form and arrangement of fifth ceratobranchial teeth was conducted to assess the distribu...

    journal_title:Journal of morphology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/(SICI)1097-4687(199809)237:3<257::AID-JMOR

    authors: Parenti LR,Thomas KR

    更新日期:1998-09-01 00:00:00

  • Morphology and SSU rRNA gene-based phylogeny of two Diophrys-like ciliates from northern China, with notes on morphogenesis of Pseudodiophrys nigricans (Protozoa, Ciliophora).

    abstract::Two free-living marine euplotid ciliates, Pseudodiophrys nigricans and Diophrys japonica, collected from the coastal waters off Qingdao, northern China, were investigated using live observations and protargol impregnation methods. The cortical development of P. nigricans was observed during binary division. Although i...

    journal_title:Journal of morphology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/jmor.20097

    authors: Fan Y,Warren A,Al-Farraj SA,Chen X,Shao C

    更新日期:2013-04-01 00:00:00

  • Morphology and evolution of the snake cornea.

    abstract::To investigate whether the thickness of the cornea in snakes correlates with overall anatomy, habitat or daily activity pattern, we measured corneal thickness using optical coherence tomography scanning in 44 species from 14 families (214 specimens) in the collection at the Natural History Museum (Denmark). Specifical...

    journal_title:Journal of morphology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/jmor.21094

    authors: Da Silva MO,Gade JT,Damsgaard C,Wang T,Heegaard S,Bertelsen MF

    更新日期:2020-02-01 00:00:00

  • The auditory region of dermoptera: Morphology and function relative to other living mammals.

    abstract::The dermopteran basicranium combines a primitively constructed and oriented auditory bulla formed by ectotympanic, rostral entotympanic, and tubal cartilage with derived features of the middle ear transformer and internal carotid circulation. Living dermopterans possess a primitive eutherian auditory region that has b...

    journal_title:Journal of morphology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/jmor.1051640206

    authors: Hunt RM Jr,Korth WW

    更新日期:1980-05-01 00:00:00

  • Surface anatomy of branchial food traps of tadpoles: A comparative study.

    abstract::Branchial food traps are regions of specialized secretory tissue in the tadpole pharynx, where suspended food particles are trapped in mucus. Light and scanning electron microscopy were used to study branchial food traps from larvae of ten anuran families (36 species). Most anuran larvae from "advanced" (suborder Neob...

    journal_title:Journal of morphology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/jmor.1051590307

    authors: Wassersug RJ,Rosenberg K

    更新日期:1979-03-01 00:00:00

  • A modified paranotal theory of insect wing origin.

    abstract::The theory of Kukalova-Peck ('78) is examined and rejected except for the hypothesis of the partially pleural origin of wings. Data suggest that the arthropods ancestral to insects left the water, and that movable precursors of the wings, possibly exopodites, were immobilized and fused with the tergum to form part of ...

    journal_title:Journal of morphology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/jmor.1051680309

    authors: Rasnitsyn AP

    更新日期:1981-06-01 00:00:00

  • Microscopy of vascular architecture and arteriovenous communications in the spleen of two odontocetes.

    abstract::The red pulp of the spleens of the short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus) and the Pacific bottle-nosed dolphin (Tursiops truncatus gilli) (Odontoceti) were examined by light and electron microscopy and found to comprise two venous layers, an inner and an outer. The inner layer is homologous to the inter...

    journal_title:Journal of morphology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/jmor.1052210210

    authors: Tanaka Y

    更新日期:1994-08-01 00:00:00

  • Morphology, structure of dimorphic sperm, and reproduction in the hermaphroditic commensal bivalve Pseudopythina tsurumaru (Galeommatoidea: Kellidae).

    abstract::In Japan Pseudopythina tsurumaru is an up to 10.8 mm-long commensal of the burrowing sea cucumber Protankyra bidentata, whereas in Hong Kong the same species is smaller and associated with the crab Hexapus anfractus, itself a commensal of P. bidentata. Japanese P. tsurumaru is a hermaphrodite tending towards protogyny...

    journal_title:Journal of morphology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/jmor.10158

    authors: Lützen J,Jespersen A,Takahashi T,Kai T

    更新日期:2004-10-01 00:00:00

  • Osteology of the prowfish, Zaprora silenus (Cottiformes: Zoarcoidei: Zaproridae).

    abstract::The prowfish, Zaprora silenus, is the sole member of the family Zaproridae. It is a large, relatively elongate species with a robust head and body, and it feeds primarily on jellyfishes. Although the larvae and juveniles are pelagic, the adults are demersal, and the species is widely distributed from Southern Californ...

    journal_title:Journal of morphology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/jmor.20168

    authors: Hilton EJ,Stevenson DE

    更新日期:2013-10-01 00:00:00

  • Characteristics of the flagellar axoneme in Neuroptera, Coleoptera, and Strepsiptera.

    abstract::Spermatozoa from representatives of the five insect orders in superorder Neuropteroidea were examined by electron microscopy following a new fixation method that includes tannic acid in the primary fixative but has uranyl acetate rather than osmium tetroxide as the secondary fixative. The sperm axoneme was found to be...

    journal_title:Journal of morphology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/jmor.1052190104

    authors: Afzelius BA,Dallai R

    更新日期:1994-01-01 00:00:00

  • Functional morphology of the female reproductive apparatus of Stephanitis pyrioides (Heteroptera, Tingidae): a novel role for the pseudospermathecae.

    abstract::At mating, female insects generally receive and store sperm in specific organs of their reproductive tract called spermathecae. Some Heteroptera, such as Cimicomorpha, lack a true spermatheca; some have receptacles of novel formation where sperm cells can transit or be stored. In Tingidae, there are two sac-like diver...

    journal_title:Journal of morphology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/jmor.10811

    authors: Marchini D,Del Bene G,Dallai R

    更新日期:2010-04-01 00:00:00

  • Intrinsic organization of snake dorsomedial cortex: an electron microscopic and golgi study.

    abstract::The cellular populations present in dorsomedial cortex in the snakes Constrictor constrictor, Natrix sipendon and Thamnophis sirtalis are described at the light microscopic level using Nissl and Golgi preparations as well as at the ultrastructural level. This area plays a central role in cortical organization in snake...

    journal_title:Journal of morphology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/jmor.1051610207

    authors: Ulinski PS

    更新日期:1979-08-01 00:00:00

  • Modification of genital kidney nephrons for sperm transport in a plethodontid salamander, Eurycea longicauda.

    abstract::Salamanders possess kidneys with two distinct regions: a caudal pelvic portion and cranial genital portion. Nephrons of the pelvic region are responsible for urine formation and transport. Nephrons of the genital region transport sperm from testes to Wolffian ducts; however, nephrons of the genital region possess all ...

    journal_title:Journal of morphology

    pub_type: 杂志文章

    doi:10.1002/jmor.21041

    authors: Hartley J,Gribbins KM,Siegel DS

    更新日期:2019-10-01 00:00:00