Comparative morphology of premolar foramen in lagomorphs (Mammalia: Glires) and its functional and phylogenetic implications.

ABSTRACT: Lagomorphs (a group that consists of pikas, hares, rabbits and allies) are notable for their conservative morphology retained for most of their over 50 million years evolutionary history. On the other hand, their remarkable morphological uniformity partly stems from a considerable number of homoplasies in cranial and dental structures that hamper phylogenetic analyses. The premolar foramen, an opening in the palate of lagomorphs, has been characterized as an important synapomorphy of one clade, Ochotonidae (pikas). Within Lagomorpha, however, its phylogenetic distribution is much wider, the foramen being present not only in all ochotonids but also in leporids and stem taxa; its morphology and incidence also varies considerably across the order, even intraspecifically. In this study, we pro

SUBMITTER: Fostowicz-Frelik L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3836788 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature