Paranasal sinus system and upper respiratory tract evolution in Mesozoic pelagic crocodylomorphs.

Autor: Cowgill T; School of GeoSciences, Grant Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK., Young MT; School of GeoSciences, Grant Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK., Schwab JA; School of GeoSciences, Grant Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK., Walsh S; Department of Natural Sciences, National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, UK., Witmer LM; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, USA., Herrera Y; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, División Paleontología Vertebrados, Museo de La Plata, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, UNLP, La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina., Dollman KN; Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa., Choiniere JN; Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa., Brusatte SL; School of GeoSciences, Grant Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Anatomical record (Hoboken, N.J. : 2007) [Anat Rec (Hoboken)] 2022 Oct; Vol. 305 (10), pp. 2583-2603. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Aug 16.
DOI: 10.1002/ar.24727
Abstrakt: Thalattosuchians were a predominately marine clade of Mesozoic crocodylomorphs, including semi-aquatic teleosauroid and obligately pelagic metriorhynchid subclades. Recent advances in our understanding of thalattosuchian endocranial anatomy have revealed new details of the evolutionary transition from terrestrial to marine to pelagic taxa. Paranasal sinuses, however, have received little attention. Herein, we investigate the evolution of the paranasal sinus system and part of the upper respiratory system (nasopharyngeal ducts) in Thalattosuchia, by reconstructing the nasal and paranasal anatomy in CT scans of seven thalattosuchian skulls: one teleosauroid, two basal metriorhynchoids and four metriorhynchids. Our outgroups were: three extant crocodylian species (including adult and subadult skulls) and the basal crocodyliform Protosuchus. We found thalattosuchians exhibit exceptionally reduced paranasal sinus systems, solely comprising the antorbital sinus, as has been previously proposed. The semi-aquatic basal thalattosuchians Palgiopthalmosuchus gracilirostris and Pelagosaurus typus both have an antorbital sinus partially located medial to a reduced external antorbital fenestra and broadly communicating with the dorsal alveolar canal. In pelagic metriorhynchids, the antorbital cavity is more extensive than in basal taxa and possibly had an active function associated with a hypothesized accessory suborbital diverticulum, but our reconstructions are insufficient to confirm or reject the presence of such a diverticulum. The nasopharyngeal ducts of metriorhynchids are dorsoventrally enlarged, possibly enabling stronger ventilation. The sequence of acquisition of craniofacial adaptations show a mosaic pattern and appears to predate many skeletal adaptations, suggesting these changes occurred early in the thalattosuchian marine transition.
(© 2021 American Association for Anatomy.)
Databáze: MEDLINE