The snout of Cricosaurus araucanensis: a case study in novel anatomy of the nasal region of metriorhynchids
The snout of Cricosaurus araucanensis: a case study in novel anatomy of the nasal region of metriorhynchids
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阿劳卡南十字龙的口鼻部：后喉科动物鼻部区域的新解剖学案例研究
DOI：
10.1111/let.12011
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发表时间：
2013
期刊：
影响因子：
1.5
通讯作者：
Z. Gasparini
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Yanina Herrera;M. Fernández;Z. Gasparini
后喙目是唯一适应远洋海洋生物的鳄形目。提托阶（晚侏罗世）后喙科Cricosaurus araucanensis的鼻子自然内模表明，骨骼的变化定义了独特的后喙科身体计划，加上软头解剖的变化，如扩大盐腺和鼻窦系统的重建。描述了七个新的自然口鼻部内模和C. araucanensis的三维重建。来自这些模型和重建的数据是一致的，它们被组合成一个准确的重建，提高了我们对眶前解剖结构的认识。上颌骨内的嗅束、嗅球、嗅鼻区和眶前窦的前延伸被识别。盐腺体的骨骼学相关性也被提出。在综合自然模型和三维重建数据的基础上，建立了古生物学推断。建议C. araucanensis鼻盐腺高度血管化，血液供应与现存的海洋鸟类相当。嗅球和嗅觉鼻区的减少表明，与现存鳄鱼不同的是，空气嗅觉并不发达。
Metriorhynchids are the only crocodyliforms adapted to pelagic marine life. Snout natural endocasts of the Tithonian (Late Jurassic) metriorhynchid Cricosaurus araucanensis indicated that skeletal changes defining the peculiar metriorhynchid body plan were coupled with changes of the soft cephalic anatomy such as the enlarged salt glands and restructuring of the paranasal sinus system. Seven new natural endocasts of the snout and a 3-D reconstruction of C. araucanensis are described. Data from these casts and the reconstruction are congruent, and they are combined into an accurate reconstruction that improves our knowledge of the pre-orbital anatomy. The olfactory tract, bulbs, olfactory nasal region and the anterior extension of the antorbital sinus within the maxilla are recognized. Osteological correlates of the salt gland body are also proposed. Palaeobiological inferences are erected based on the integration of natural endocasts and 3-D reconstruction data. It is proposed that C. araucanensis nasal salt glands were highly vascularized with a blood supply comparable with those of extant marine birds. Reduced olfactory bulbs and olfactory nasal region indicate that the aerial olfaction, differing from extant crocodilians, was not well developed.