Skeletal Anatomy of the Pectoral Girdle, Stylopodium and Zeugopodium of Caiman latirostris (Daudin, 1802) (Crocodylia: Alligatoridae)

The development of the skeleton can be better understood through new discoveries, using as reference tissue that is in a dynamic process of formation and resorption. This study used a young adult male specimen of C. latirostris, 1.50m in length, belonging to the collection of the Wild Animal Research Laboratory of the Federal University of Uberlândia, fixed in 10% formol. The specimen’s skin, viscera and pectoral girdle, stylopodium and zeugopodium bone muscles were removed, and the bones were identified, recorded in photographs taken with a digital camera, and described. The findings demonstrate that the characteristics of the skeletal anatomy of the pectoral girdle, stylopodium and zeugopodium of C. latirostris resemble those of its ancestors and extend to the other crocodilians, since they exhibit inter- and intraspecific behavioral similarities.

[1]  A. Reese.  The Alligator and Its Allies , 2010 .

[2]  P. M. S. Villela.  Caracterização genética de crocodilianos brasileiros e desenvolvimento de marcadores microssatélites para Paleosuchus trigonatus , 2009 .

[3]  N. Smith,et al.  Osteology of Cryolophosaurus ellioti (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Early Jurassic of Antarctica and implications for early theropod evolution , 2007 .

[4]  Z. Werb,et al.  Matrix remodeling during endochondral ossification. , 2004, Trends in cell biology.

[5]  C. Piña,et al.  Effect of Incubation Temperature on Incubation Period, Sex Ratio, Hatching Success, and Survivorship in Caiman latirostris (Crocodylia, Alligatoridae) , 2003 .

[6]  Vinícius Xavier.  Técnicas de coleta e preparação de vertebrados para fins científicos e didáticos , 2002 .

[7]  J. Thurmon,et al.  Lumb & Jones Veterinary Anesthesia , 1996 .

[8]  C. Brochu.  Heterochrony in the Crocodylian Scapulocoracoid , 1995 .

[9]  P. Sereno.  The pectoral girdle and forelimb of the basal theropod Herrerasaurus ischigualastensis , 1994 .

[10]  J. Bonaparte,et al.  Carnotaurus sastrei Bonaparte, the horned, lightly built carnosaur from the Middle Cretaceous of Patagonia , 1990, Contributions in science.

[11]  T. Rowe.  A new species of the theropod dinosaur Syntarsus from the Early Jurassic Kayenta Formation of Arizona , 1989 .

[12]  B. Small.  The Triassic thecodontian reptile Desmatosuchus: osteology and relationships , 1985 .

[13]  P. Galton.  Juveniles of the stegosaurian dinosaur Stegosaurus from the Upper Jurassic of North America , 1982 .

[14]  R. Soni.  International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources , 1969 .

[15]  C. Piña,et al.  Clutch size of Caiman latirostris (Crocodylia: Alligatoridae) varies on a latitudinal gradient , 2009 .

[16]  P. Piras,et al.  Anatomy and phylogeny of the gavialoid crocodylian Eosuchus lerichei from the Paleocene of Europe , 2005 .

[17]  A. M. Oliveira,et al.  Analise da estrutura dos vertebrados , 1995 .

[18]  S. Bennett.  The ontogeny of Pteranodon and other pterosaurs , 1993, Paleobiology.

[19]  M. Raath.  Dinosaur Systematics: Morphological variation in small theropods and its meaning in systematics: evidence from Syntarsus rhodesiensis , 1990 .