The Deltoid Musculature of the Edentata, Pholidota and Tubulidentata

Shrivastava, R. K.

doi:10.2535/ofaj1936.38.1_25

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…In both armadillos and anteaters, the deltoid tuberosity is thinner and more elongated than that of the aardvark ( Sonntag, 1925 ) and supports the insertion of the deltoid muscles via numerous tendinous fibers. In contrast, deltoid muscles in the aardvark are more reduced and connected to the pectoralis superficialis ( Shrivastava, 1962 ). Voegele (2014) describes the m. acromiodeltoideus and spinodeltoideus as being fused, and inserted via a short tendon to the deltoid ridge.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Digging the compromise: investigating the link between limb bone histology and fossoriality in the aardvark (Orycteropus afer)

Legendre

Botha‐Brink

2018

PeerJ

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Bone microstructure has long been known as a powerful tool to investigate lifestyle-related biomechanical constraints, and many studies have focused on identifying such constraints in the limb bones of aquatic or arboreal mammals in recent years. The limb bone microstructure of fossorial mammals, however, has not been extensively described. Furthermore, so far, studies on this subject have always focused on the bone histology of small burrowers, such as subterranean rodents or true moles. Physiological constraints associated with digging, however, are known to be strongly influenced by body size, and larger burrowers are likely to exhibit a histological profile more conspicuously influenced by fossorial activity. Here, we describe for the first time the limb bone histology of the aardvark (Orycteropus afer), the largest extant burrowing mammal. The general pattern is very similar for all six sampled limb bones (i.e., humerus, radius, ulna, femur, tibia, and fibula). Most of the cortex at midshaft is comprised of compacted coarse cancellous bone (CCCB), an endosteal tissue formed in the metaphyses through the compaction of bony trabeculae. Conversely, the periosteal bone is highly resorbed in all sections, and is reduced to a thin outer layer, suggesting a pattern of strong cortical drift. This pattern contrasts with that of most large mammals, in which cortical bone is of mostly periosteal origin, and CCCB, being a very compliant bone tissue type, is usually resorbed or remodeled during ontogeny. The link between histology and muscle attachment sites, as well as the influence of the semi-arid environment and ant-eating habits of the aardvark on its bone microstructure, are discussed. We hypothesize that the unusual histological profile of the aardvark is likely the outcome of physiological constraints due to both extensive digging behavior and strong metabolic restrictions. Adaptations to fossoriality are thus the result of a physiological compromise between limited food availability, an environment with high temperature variability, and the need for biomechanical resistance during digging. These results highlight the difficulties of deciphering all factors potentially involved in bone formation in fossorial mammals. Even though the formation and maintaining of CCCB through ontogeny in the aardvark cannot be unambiguously linked with its fossorial habits, a high amount of CCCB has been observed in the limb bones of other large burrowing mammals. The inclusion of such large burrowers in future histological studies is thus likely to improve our understanding of the functional link between bone growth and fossorial lifestyle in an evolutionary context.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Digging the compromise: investigating the link between limb bone histology and fossoriality in the aardvark (Orycteropus afer)

Legendre

Botha‐Brink

2018

PeerJ

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“…The output force is greater in the fossorial type since the relatively long deltopectoral crest favours large output force by moving the point of pivot (or fulcrum, here the humeral head) farther from the input force (i.e. the deltoid musculature; Shrivastava, 1962). Both Necromanis quercyi and N. franconica present a humerus characterized by a deltopectoral crest that extends distally close to the entepicondylar bridge.…”

Section: Paleobiological Inferencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A pangolin (Manidae, Pholidota, Mammalia) from the French Quercy phosphorites (Pech du Fraysse, Saint-Projet, Tarn-et-Garonne, late Oligocene, MP 28)

Crochet¹,

Hautier²,

Lehmann³

2015

Palaeovertebrata

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Pangolins have never shown a high taxic diversity and their fossil record is scarce. We report here the first discovery of a partial humerus from late Oligocene deposits in Pech du Fraysse (MP28, France). The new specimen from Pech du Fraysse is described and compared to various extant and extinct species of pangolins. It shows a suite of morphological features very similar to the humeri discovered in Saint-André (MP 26), Solnhofen (Burdigalien), and Saulcet (Aquitanian), attributed here to Necromanis franconica. The description of the specimen from Pech du Fraysse allowed us to discuss the systematics of Paleogene and Neogene pholidotans. The differences between PFY 4051 and N. franconica on the one side, and N. quercyi on the other side, might be sufficiently important to justify a generic distinction. A comparison with extant species showed that N. franconica was likely terrestrial and fossorial based on its humeral morphology.

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“…The palaeanodonts are more closely related, and probably directly ancestral, to the pangolins (Emry, 1970), but their relation to the Xenarthra, though weakened by Emry's revelations, is nevertheless real: if the Pholidota are regarded as the grand-children of the palaeanodonts, then the Xenarthra may well be their grand-nephews. Shrivastava (1963) has also shown that the shoulder musculature of pangolins is no more distinctive or peculiar than that of any of the xenarthrous families. All this might best be expressed taxonomically by accepting Emry's (1970) referral of the palaeanodonts t o the order Pholidota, but also bracketing this order with the Edentata as a distinct superorder.…”

Section: Ung Uic Ulate Sup E Ro Rd Ersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mammalian superorders

Minkoff

1976

Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society

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The superordinal level can be used to great advantage in the taxonomy of mammals and other groups. Of the two cohorts of placental mammals, the Unguiculata is divided into six superorders: Archonta (Gregory's Archonta plus Lipotyphla), Glires, Ferae (including Delta‐theridia and Carnivora), Paratheria (Edentata and Pholidota), Ganodonta, and an unnamed group for the Lagomorpha plus Anagalida. The cohort Ungulata is divided much as in Simpson (1945), with an additional superorder (Mutica) for the whales and with a superorder Amblypoda, separate from the Paenungulata, and corresponding to Romer's (1966) order of that name.

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The Deltoid Musculature of the Edentata, Pholidota and Tubulidentata

Cited by 8 publications

References 7 publications

Digging the compromise: investigating the link between limb bone histology and fossoriality in the aardvark (Orycteropus afer)

Digging the compromise: investigating the link between limb bone histology and fossoriality in the aardvark (Orycteropus afer)

A pangolin (Manidae, Pholidota, Mammalia) from the French Quercy phosphorites (Pech du Fraysse, Saint-Projet, Tarn-et-Garonne, late Oligocene, MP 28)

Mammalian superorders

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