Reconstruction of Ancestral Cranioskeletal Features in the Order Lagomorpha

Martínez, Nieves López

doi:10.1007/978-1-4899-0539-0_6

Cited by 22 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…According to Lopez-Martinez (1989), the separation took place during the lower-middle Miocene, while the first fossil European Leporids (Lopez-Martinez 1985) appear in the upper Miocene, and the first European Lepus (Lopez-Martinez 1977a) in the lower Pleistocene, not earlier than the Villafranchian period.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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A new subspecies of hare from Majorca (Balearic Islands)

Palácios¹,

Fernández²

1992

Mammalia

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The hares of Majorca are described as a new subspecies of Lepus granatensis in view of their smaller size and slightly different dental enamel morphology as compared to the nominate subspecies (L. granatensis granatensis Rosenhauer, 1856) of the Spanish mainland.Size in the new subspecies is smaller overall, but the limbs are affected more markedly. It is noteworthy that measurements ranges of the hindfoot and humerus lengths of adult specimens from Majorca and peninsular Spain do not overlap.As for dental morphology, Majorcan hares differ from those of the nominate subspecies in that the postcone of P 2 is higher than the lagicone, there is a common and well developed centroflexid in the P 3 hypoflexid, and there is more variability in the number of anteroconids of P,, which ranges from 1 to 3.The trend toward dwarfism in hares of Majorca seems to conform to the normal pattern of evolution of large Mediterranean insular mammals, and it is presumed to be an adaptation to the absence of predators.Resume. -Les lievres de Majorque sont decrits comme une nouvelle sous-espece de Lepus granatensis ä cause des differences de taille et des differences dans la morphologic de Pemail dentaire en comparaison avec la sous-espece nominale (L. granatensis granatensis Rosenhauer, 1856) de la Peninsule Iberique.La taille de la nouvelle sous-espece est en general plus petite ; la reduction qu'ont subie les extremites est particulierement remarquable, surtout la longueur du pied et celle de l'humerus. U n'y a pas de recouvrement de ces longueurs dans le cas des exemplaires adultes de la Peninsule et de Majorque.Â propos de la morphologic dentaire, les lievres de Majorque se distinguent de la sous-espece nominale parce que le postcone du P 2 est plus eleve que le lagicone ; elles ont generalement un centroflexid tres developpe dans 1'hypofiexid de P 3 , et la variabilite du nombre d'anteroconides et plus grande (entre l et 3).La tendance vers le nanisme que montrent les lievres de Majorque parait s'ajuster au patron evolutif normal decrit pour les grands mammiferes insulaires fossiles et on la considere comme une adaptation ä l'absence de predateurs.L. granatensis Rosenhauer, 1856 is a medium-size hare endemic to the Iberian Peninsula. Its natural area of distribution includes Portugal, most of peninsular Spain south and west of the Ebro river, and Majorca. Mammalia, t. 56, n° 1, 1992. Brought to you by | University of Queensland -UQ Library Authenticated Download Date | 6/21/15 3:33 AM

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…According to Lopez-Martinez (1985), the enlargement of the choanae is mainly a derived character in recent leporids and is related to respiratory improvement.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A new subspecies of hare from Majorca (Balearic Islands)

Palácios¹,

Fernández²

1992

Mammalia

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“…The hypothesized dietary categories for each species were consistent with their recorded diets. All of the extant lagomorphs possessed a mesial shearing blade derived from facets one and five (Martinez, 1985). The presence of shearing facets in modern lagomorphs is reflective of their leaf dominated diet (tree or succulent grass leaves) and occurrence of high amounts of attritional wear as compared with specialized grazers (horses).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The use of gross dental wear in dietary studies of extinct lagomorphs

Fraser

Theodor

2010

J. Paleontol.

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Studies of paleoenvironments have commonly focused on large mammalian herbivores such as ungulates. Many localities, however, have yielded large numbers of small mammalian herbivores, including lagomorphs and rodents. These fossils represent an untapped paleoecological resource. However, the fossils are often in the form of isolated teeth, and microwear analysis cannot be used due to taphonomic alteration. As a result, we use ungulate gross dental wear as a model. The dental wear features of extant western Canadian lagomorphs are identified and used to create dietary categories that can be applied to make predictions about the diets of extinct forms. The Horse Local Fauna of the Cypress Hills Formation of Saskatchewan has yielded approximately 2,500 fossil specimens, of which nearly 300 are lagomorphs. Two leporid species (rabbits and hares) are present in the Horse Local Fauna, Palaeolagus temnodon and Megalagus brachyodon. Qualitative analysis of the gross dental wear of the lagomorphs of the Horse Local Fauna indicates that M. brachyodon was mainly folivorous and P. temnodon was primarily frugivorous, suggesting that the contemporaneous ecosystem was tree dominated. Gross dental wear analysis allows the use of small herbivores and isolated teeth in paleoecological studies. Studying the diets of small herbivorous mammals will allow more nearly complete reconstructions of past environments and will become increasingly important as more detailed reconstructions are required by paleontologists.

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“…Although rodents are generally regarded as herbivores, an omnivorous nutrition is most likely in the rodent morphotype (Landry 1970). Since lagomorphs are graminivorous or folivorous (Martinez 1985) there is no solution for the reconstruction of the nutritional mode in the Glires morphotype without outgroups. For Theria microfaunivory is regarded as primitive (Starck 1995, Eisenberg 1981).…”

Section: Posterior Extension Of the Gliriform Incisormentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphology and Evolution of the Glires Rostral Cranium

Frahner

2008

Zool. Reihe

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Glires is recently considered as the best supported hypothesis at the supraordinal level within Eutheria based on morphology. Large, evergrowing gnawing incisors and the associated differentiation of the rostral cranium are the most conspicuous corresponding feature of rodents and lagomorphs. A detailed morphological analysis of these characters within therians with special emphasis on rodents and Iagomorphs evaluates their implications for the still not generally accepted monophyly of Glires. Morphotype characters of this clade are reconstructed. The Glires morphotype is characterized by at least two incisor in each jaw (dI2, 13). In the upper jaw, the I3 did not lie distinctly medial and approximated to the gliriform incisor. In a short diastema behind the incisors the Inflexa pellita were located. The nasopalatine duct opened closely behind the incisors into the oral cavity. Jacobson's organ opened into the floor of the nasal cavity anterior to the nasopalatine duct. With no special rostral extension of the masseter muscle the facial skull was still broad, the nasolacrimal duct ran lateral to the posterior part of the incisor, and the lacrimal foramen was positioned laterally inside the orbit at the border between lacrimal and maxillary. The premaxillary had a posterodorsal process which connected to the frontal.Based on this reconstruction, character transformations in the evolution towards lagomorphs and rodents are traced. Within the character set three synapomorphies for the Glires are confirmed. The transformations demonstrated appear plausible in the organismic context. No evidence that contradicts the Glires hypothesis was found.

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Reconstruction of Ancestral Cranioskeletal Features in the Order Lagomorpha

Cited by 22 publications

References 41 publications

A new subspecies of hare from Majorca (Balearic Islands)

A new subspecies of hare from Majorca (Balearic Islands)

The use of gross dental wear in dietary studies of extinct lagomorphs

Morphology and Evolution of the Glires Rostral Cranium

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