The Vertebrate SkeletonReynolds, Sidney H. (Sidney Hugh)
Science
The Vertebrate Skeleton
Reynolds, Sidney H. (Sidney Hugh)
Skeleton
The posterior part of the upper jaw forms a mass of cartilage which
extends forwards towards the maxillae as a long pointed process whose
ventral surface and sides are overlapped by a membrane bone, the
_pterygoid_ (fig. 21, 12).
The suspensorial bones include the =quadrate= and _squamosal_. The
=quadrate= (fig. 21, 15) which forms the true =suspensorium= is
directed forwards and outwards, and is terminated by a patch of
cartilage with which the mandible articulates.
The lower jaw or mandible remains partly cartilaginous, while its
ossifications include two membrane bones and one cartilage bone. The
cartilage bone is the =articular= (fig. 21, C, 18), it forms the
posterior part of the ramus, extends forwards for some distance along
its inner side, and is terminated posteriorly by a patch of cartilage
which articulates with the quadrate. The _dentary_ (fig. 21, C, 20) is
a large bone which forms the anterior part and nearly all the outer
half of each ramus, and bears teeth similar to those of the upper jaw.
Attached to its inner face is a long slender _splenial_ (fig. 21, C,
21).
THE HYOID APPARATUS.
This consists of the hyoid arch and part of the first two branchial
arches.
The =hyoid arch= (fig. 29, A, 2) consists of a pair of =cornua=, each
of which is divided into two halves. The dorsal half forming the
=cerato-hyal= is mainly ossified though tipped with cartilage, and is
connected by ligament with the suspensorium. The ventral half
(=hypo-hyal=) is cartilaginous, and is connected with the
basibranchial.
The =branchial arches= consist of a median piece, the =basibranchial=,
which is ossified in the centre and cartilaginous at either end, and
of two pairs of =cerato-branchials= which are attached to the
cartilaginous part (fig. 29, A, 8) of the basibranchial. The first
cerato-branchial is chiefly ossified, the second (fig. 29, A, 4) is a
good deal smaller and is cartilaginous. Both are united dorsally to a
single =epi-branchial=, which is terminated by a small cartilaginous
area at the free end but is elsewhere well ossified.
C. THE RIBS.
The ribs are short imperfectly ossified structures, bifid at their
proximal end where they articulate with the transverse processes, and
tipped both proximally and distally with cartilage. The dorsal portion
of the proximal end corresponds to the =tuberculum= of the ribs of
higher animals, and the ventral portion to the =capitulum=. Some of
the anterior ribs have a step-like notch on their dorsal surfaces.
The second to twelfth ribs are fairly equal in size, but further back
they decrease slightly. The ribs which connect the sacral vertebrae
with the ilia are however large. The short ribs borne on the anterior
caudal vertebrae are cartilaginous.
D. THE STERNUM.
The sternum (fig. 22, A, 6) is a rather broad plate of cartilage,
drawn out posteriorly into a median process marked by a prominent
ridge. On its antero-lateral margins it bears surfaces for
articulation with the pectoral girdle.
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