Comparative anatomy and evolution of the atlantoaxial complex in the fossorial lineage Amphisbaenia (Squamata: Lacertoidea)

In this study, we used computed microtomography data to describe in detail of the atlantoaxial complex for 15 species, belonging to all six current families of Amphisbaenia. Furthermore, we evaluate evolutionary scenarios of selected characters related to the atlantoaxial complex in the most recent phylogeny for Amphisbaenia, using the criteria of parsimony and maximum likelihood. Our results indicate that the evolutionary pattern of the atlantoaxial complex presents a diversification in its morphology that is not always correlated with the shape of the head. This analysis reinforces the hypothesis of remarkable morphological convergences in the evolutionary history of Amphisbaenia. Additionally, some of the characters studied may represent independent evolution through convergence in some cases (e.g., horizontal axis of the neural column) and parallelism in others (e.g., present or absent from the transverse process).PMID:38618897 | DOI:10.1002/ar.25448

Source: Anatomical Record - April 15, 2024 Category: Anatomy Authors: Clara Ara újo Salvino Cristian Hernand éz-Morales Juan Diego Daza Pedro M Sales Nunes Source Type: research