The nasal cavity of Neosclerocalyptus Paula Couto 1957 (Mammalia Xenarthra Glyptodontia)

FERNICOLA, J. C.; TOLEDO, N.; VIZCAÍNO, S. F.; BARGO, M. S.

Punta del Este

Congreso; IX International Congress of Vertebrate Morphology; 2010

International society of vertebrate morphology

<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1107304683 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; text-autospace:none; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:ES-TRAD; mso-fareast-language:ES;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:70.85pt 3.0cm 70.85pt 3.0cm; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> The genus Neosclerocalyptus includes a group of species whose most remarkable feature is the presence in the nasal region of a bony element that is overlapped posterodorsally by the nasal and posterolaterally by the premaxilla. This element corresponds to an ossification of at least the anterior portion of the nasal capsule. We present here a preliminary description of the nasal cavity based on the CTscan of different adult individuals of Neosclerocalyptus housed at the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales of Buenos Aires and Museo de La Plata (Argentina). The nasal cavity is divisible into anterior, middle, and posterior parts. The anterior part is housed within the ossified nasal capsule. The latter is separated internally by an ossified septum nasi, on each side of which lies a single trabecular bony mass corresponding to the turbinate. Each turbinate bears two roots, respectively fused to the lateral and ventral interior surface of the nasal capsule, thus probably representing the maxilloturbinal and atrioturbinal, respectively. There is no evidence of a dorsal root, suggesting that a nasoturbinal was absent. The middle part, bounded dorsally by the nasal and ventrolaterally by the maxilla, forms a common channel passage through which air flowed to the nasopharyngeal duct and ethmoturbinal. The posterior part, limited dorsally by the frontals, posteriorly by the cribiform plate and ventrally by the lamina transversa, housed the ethmoturbinals. This anatomical conformation, in which the respiratory (“anterior” turbinals) and olfactory (“posterior” turbinals) regions are physically separated might reflect a greater physiological specialization of the nasal cavity.