Micromorphology of osteoderms in Dasypodidae (Cingulata, Mammalia): Characterization and 3D-reconstructions

Artículo

Autoría

SCARANO, ALEJO CARLOS ; CIANCIO, MARTIN RICARDO ; BARBEITO ANDRES, JIMENA ; BARBEITO, CLAUDIO GUSTAVO ; KRMPOTIC, CECILIA MARIANA

Fecha

2019

Editorial y Lugar de Edición

WILEY-LISS, DIV JOHN WILEY & SONS INC

Revista

JOURNAL OF MORPHOLOGY, vol. 281 (pp. 258-272) WILEY-LISS, DIV JOHN WILEY & SONS INC

Resumen Información suministrada por el agente en SIGEVA

Osteoderms are present in a variety of extinct and extant vertebrates, but among mammals, the presence of osteoderms is essentially restricted to armadillos (Cingulata, Dasypodidae). Osteoderms have been proposed to exhibit a variety of functionalities in Dasypodidae, mainly protection and thermoregulation, and they have been considered as one of the synapomorphies of this group. In this study, we use high-resolution microcomputed tomography to describe the osteoderm micromorphology of several ... Osteoderms are present in a variety of extinct and extant vertebrates, but among mammals, the presence of osteoderms is essentially restricted to armadillos (Cingulata, Dasypodidae). Osteoderms have been proposed to exhibit a variety of functionalities in Dasypodidae, mainly protection and thermoregulation, and they have been considered as one of the synapomorphies of this group. In this study, we use high-resolution microcomputed tomography to describe the osteoderm micromorphology of several extant species of Dasypodidae in a comparative context. This study allowed the identification, 3D-reconstruction and volume quantification of different internal structures of osteoderms as well as their interrelations. This detailed characterization of the internal osteoderm morphology was compared in a phylogenetic context to assess the evolutionary trends of the species involved. This enables the identification of distinctive patterns for the most widely recognized clades, the Dasypodinae and Euphractinae with a morphological homogeneity in the microstructure of their osteoderms, in comparison with Tolypeutinae where it has not been possible to establish a common morphological pattern. The most important features for linage differentiation is the degree of compaction of the osteoderms, the number of cavities and the development of hairs. It is likely that the differential development of the various structures occurred as adaptive response to climate changes.

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Palabras Clave

INTERNAL MORPHOLOGYDERMAL ARMOR3D RECONSTRUCTIONSMICROCOMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY

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http://hdl.handle.net/11336/130702