The Adductor Muscles of the Jaw In Some Primitive Reptiles — John Shaqi
The Adductor Muscles of the Jaw In Some Primitive ReptilesFox, Richard C.
Science
The Adductor Muscles of the Jaw In Some Primitive Reptiles
Fox, Richard C.
Jaws; Reptiles, Fossil
I thank Prof. Theodore H. Eaton, Jr., for suggesting the study here
reported on, for his perceptive criticisms regarding it, and for his
continued patience throughout my investigation. Financial assistance
was furnished by his National Science Foundation Grant (NSF-G8624) for
which I am also appreciative. I thank Dr. Rainer Zangerl, Chief Curator
of Geology, Chicago Museum of Natural History, for permission to
examine the specimens of _Captorhinus_ and _Dimetrodon_ in that
institution. I am grateful to Mr. Robert F. Clarke, Assistant Professor
of Biology, The Kansas State Teachers College, Emporia, Kansas, for the
opportunity to study his specimens of _Captorhinus_ from Richard's
Spur, Oklahoma. Special acknowledgment is due Mr. Merton C. Bowman for
his able preparation of the illustrations.
Captorhinus
The outlines of the skulls of _Captorhinus_ differ considerably from
those of the skulls of the primitive captorhinomorph _Protorothyris_.
Watson (1954:335, Fig. 9) has shown that in the morphological sequence,
_Protorothyris--Romeria--Captorhinus_, there has been flattening and
rounding of the skull-roof and loss of the primitive "square-cut"
appearance in transverse section. The quadrates in _Captorhinus_ are
farther from the midline than in _Protorothyris_, and the adductor
chambers in _Captorhinus_ are considerably wider than they were
primitively. Additionally, the postorbital region of _Captorhinus_ is
relatively longer than that of _Protorothyris_, a specialization that
has increased the length of the chambers within.
In contrast with these dimensional changes there has been little shift
in the pattern of the dermal bones that roof the adductor chambers. The
most conspicuous modification in _Captorhinus_ is the absence of the
tabular. This element in _Protorothyris_ was limited to the occiput and
rested without sutural attachment upon the squamosal (Watson,
1954:338); later loss of the tabular could have had no effect upon the
origins of muscles from inside the skull roof. Changes in pattern that
may have modified the origin of the adductors in _Captorhinus_ were
correlated with the increase in length of the parietals and the
reduction of the supratemporals. Other changes that were related to the
departure from the primitive romeriid condition of the adductors
included the development of a coronoid process, the flattening of the
quadrate-articular joint, and the development of the peculiar dentition
of _Captorhinus_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account