Ichthyosaurian eyes: paleobiological information content in the sclerotic ring of<i>Caypullisaurus</i>(Ichthyosauria, Ophthalmosauria)

Fernández, Marta; Archuby, Fernando; Talevi, Marianella; Ebner, Roberto

doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2005)025[0330:iepici]2.0.co;2

Cited by 56 publications

(72 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…C; Fernández et al . ). This conclusion is supported by the cervical vertebrae: bone texture of the lateral centra is extremely porous and the apophyses are poorly developed, both of which suggest incomplete ossification (Fig.…”

Section: Systematic Palaeontologymentioning

confidence: 97%

A new ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur from the Early Cretaceous of Colombia

Maxwell

Dick

Padilla³

et al. 2015

Papers in Palaeontology

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Cretaceous ichthyosaurs were relatively diverse in temperate latitudes, but few species have been described from the palaeotropics. Here, we describe a new ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur, Muiscasaurus catheti gen. et sp. nov., from the Barremian–Aptian aged Paja Formation of Colombia. This species is known only from a partial skull and differs from all other ichthyosaurs in the unusual configuration of the external narial opening, slender rostrum, narrow postorbital region, and gracile dentition. It is the second ichthyosaur described from the Paja Formation, suggesting moderate taxonomic and ecological ichthyosaur diversity in the region during the Early Cretaceous.

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Section: Systematic Palaeontologymentioning

confidence: 97%

A new ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur from the Early Cretaceous of Colombia

Maxwell

Dick

Padilla³

et al. 2015

Papers in Palaeontology

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“…; Fernández et al. ; Franz‐Odendaal, ; Hall, ,b, ; Pilgrim & Franz‐Odendaal, ; Schmitz & Motani, ). For example, presence or absence of scleral ossicles in teleost fish appears to correlate with activity level and environment (Franz‐Odendaal, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The sclerotic ring of squamates: an evo‐devo‐eco perspective

Atkins

Franz‐Odendaal

2016

Journal of Anatomy

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The sclerotic ring consists of several bones that form in the sclera of many reptiles. This element has not been well studied in squamates, a diverse order of reptiles with a rich fossil record but debated phylogeny. Squamates inhabit many environments, display a range of behaviours, and have evolved several different body plans. Most importantly, many species have secondarily lost their sclerotic rings. This research investigates the presence of sclerotic rings in squamates and traces the lineage of these bones across evolutionary time. We compiled a database on the presence/absence of the sclerotic ring in extinct and extant squamates and investigated the evolutionary history of the sclerotic ring and how its presence/absence and morphology is correlated with environment and behaviour within this clade. Of the 400 extant species examined (59 families, 214 genera), 69% have a sclerotic ring. Those species that do not are within Serpentes, Amphisbaenia, and Dibamidae. We find that three independent losses of the sclerotic ring in squamates are supported when considering both evolutionary and developmental evidence. We also show that squamate species that lack, or have a reduced, sclerotic ring, are fossorial and headfirst burrowers. Our dataset is the largest squamate dataset with measurements of sclerotic rings, and supports previous findings that size of the ring is related to both environment occupied and behaviour. Specifically, scotopic species tend to have both larger inner and outer sclerotic ring apertures, resulting in a narrower ring of bone than those found in photopic species. Non-fossorial species also have a larger sclerotic ring than fossorial species. This research expands our knowledge of these fascinating bones; with further phylogenetic analyses scleral ossicles could become an extremely useful character trait for inferring the behaviour of fossil squamates.

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“…This work was further expanded upon by Walls () in his book The Vertebrate Eye and its Adaptive Radiation . Since these works, many paleontological studies have documented the ocular skeleton in a diverse range of vertebrates (e.g., Fernández et al ; Motani ; Schmitz and Motani ; Angielczyk and Schmitz , etc.). This sparked interest amongst morphologists who described this bony ring in more detail in a wide range of living organisms (e.g., De Queiroz ; de Quieroz and Good ; Warheit et al ; Nakamura and Yamaguchi ; Franz‐Odendaal and Hall, ; Franz‐Odendaal ; Atkins and Franz‐Odendaal , etc.).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Skeletons of the Eye: An Evolutionary and Developmental Perspective

Franz‐Odendaal

2018

The Anatomical Record

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The ocular skeleton, composed of the scleral cartilage and scleral ossicles, is present in many vertebrates. The morphology of the scleral cartilage and ossicles varies within different extant reptiles (including birds) and also varies dramatically from the morphology in extant teleosts. This incredible range of diverse morphologies is the result of millions of years of evolution. Both the position of these elements within the eye and the timing of development vary amongst different vertebrates. While the development of both the scleral cartilage and scleral ossicles is somewhat understood in reptiles and in teleosts, the functional advantage of these elements is still debated. Most reptiles have a multi-component scleral ossicle ring composed of a series of flat bone plates and a scleral cartilage cup lining the retina, some sharks have calcified cartilage plates, and some teleosts have two bones while most others only have a ring of scleral cartilage. The data presented shows that different vertebrates have adapted to similar selective pressures in different ways. However, the reason why sarcopterygians have a series of overlapping bones in the sclera remains unclear. A better understanding of the ocular skeletal diversity in Reptilia as well as a better understanding of the mechanisms of vision within different environments (i.e., air vs. water) and that used by secondarily aquatic organisms is needed. This review discusses the observed variation in morphology and development of the ocular skeleton in the context of evolution and highlights our knowledge gaps in these areas. Anat Rec, 303:100-109, 2020.

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Ichthyosaurian eyes: paleobiological information content in the sclerotic ring ofCaypullisaurus(Ichthyosauria, Ophthalmosauria)

Cited by 56 publications

References 21 publications

A new ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur from the Early Cretaceous of Colombia

A new ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur from the Early Cretaceous of Colombia

The sclerotic ring of squamates: an evo‐devo‐eco perspective

Skeletons of the Eye: An Evolutionary and Developmental Perspective

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