Anguidae

Villa, Andrea & Delfino, Massimo, 2019, A comparative atlas of the skull osteology of European lizards (Reptilia: Squamata), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 187 (3), pp. 828-928 : 863

publication ID

https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz035

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/9C298799-D260-5A18-FF2D-FB9C2445AFDC

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scientific name

Anguidae
status

 

Anguidae View in CoL View at ENA ( Fig. 22V –AA)

The quadrate of European anguids is a straight and subrectangular bone in anterior view. Only a low to moderately developed lamina is present along the lateral margin of the pillar. The degree of development of this lamina is higher in Pseudopus apodus ( Fig. 22Y, Z) than in Anguis gr. An. fragilis ( Fig. 22V, W). Because of this, Anguis gr. An. fragilis lacks a real conch ( Fig. 22W), whereas the conch of Pseudopus apodus is narrow and very shallow ( Fig. 22Z). A similar-sized or slightly more developed lamina is present on the medial side of the bone, developing a small pterygoid flange near its ventral end (less recognizable in Pseudopus apodus and in juveniles of Anguis gr. An. fragilis ). The cephalic condyle is very strongly expanded both posteriorly and anteriorly and so the bone appears very wide in its dorsal portion in lateral view. In Anguis gr. An. fragilis , the anterior expansion tends to bend ventrally, creating an anterodorsally directed articulation surface with a rounded outline in lateral view ( Fig. 22X). In Pseudopus apodus , the same expansion does not bend ventrally and the anterior outline of the bone appears angular in lateral view ( Fig. 22 AA). The posterior expansion is straighter in lateral view and slightly wider in dorsal view. A ridge runs ventrally from the expansion along the posterior surface of the pillar body of the bone. The mandibular condyle is moderately wide in posterior view and its portions are poorly ventrally developed and similar in size. Even if the lateral lamina is not much developed, a small ( Anguis gr. An. fragilis ) or deep ( Pseudopus apodus ) notch on the lateral side of the cephalic condyle is still recognizable in dorsal view: this could be a remnant of the foramen for the chorda tympani nerve. The maximum length varies from 1.9 mm to 2.7 mm in Anguis gr. An. fragilis and from 6.5 mm to 7.8 mm in Pseudopus apodus .

EPIPTERYGOID

The epipterygoid ( Fig. 23) is a rod-like paired bone.

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Squamata

Family

Anguidae

Genus

Pseudopus