Variation in skull morphology and mastication in the fossil giant armadillosPampatheriumspp. and allied genera (Mammalia: Xenarthra: Pampatheriidae), with comments on their systematics and distribution
| Autor: | Gerardo De Iuliis, Sergio F. Vizcaíno, María Susana Bargo |
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| Rok vydání: | 2001 |
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| Zdroj: | Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 20:743-754 |
| ISSN: | 1937-2809 0272-4634 |
| Popis: | The masticatory apparatus of Pampatherium typum, P. humboldtii, and Holmesina paulacoutoi are analysed based on skull, mandibular and dental morphology and the inferred masticatory musculature. Comparison of the apparatus with those of other pampatheres suggests a trend toward increasing ability to process resistant vegetation from Holmesina through Pampatherium. The mechanical design of the apparatus among these pampatheres is nearly identical and has apparently undergone only minor variation since pampatheres first appear in the fossil record, suggesting strong phylogenetic constraint in the form of skeletal and dental elements. Main differences among taxa occur in features associated with the musculature, and thus the primary means for differentiation in masticatory function, which is correlated with diet, were changes resulting in differential force imput. Although the taxonomic status of some specimens is equivocal, indications are that the Plio-Pleistocene paleobiogeographic distribution of... |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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