Morphology and intraspecific variation in the skull and mandible of the slider turtle Trachemys dorbigni (Testudines, Emydidae)

Testudines generally presents a considerable wealth of osteological elements of the skull that makes crucial the detailed knowledge of these bone structures, mainly in solving problems of classification and determination of species. Emydidae is an important group of chelonians, but the cranial anato...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Zoomorphology 2020-09, Vol.139 (3), p.373-384
Main Authors: Portela, Priscila Rockenbach, Oliveira, Róger Jean, Machado, Fabio Pereira, Drehmer, César Jaeger, Valente, Ana Luísa Schifino, Dornelles, José Eduardo Figueiredo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal Anatomy
Animal Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography
Biology
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Bones
Developmental Biology
Emydidae
Evolutionary Biology
Histology
Laboratories
Life Sciences
Mandible
Morphology
Original Paper
Osteology
Phylogenetics
Reptiles & amphibians
Skull
Species
Taxonomy
Testudines
Trachemys dorbigni
Variation
Vertebrate zoology
Zoology
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Summary:Testudines generally presents a considerable wealth of osteological elements of the skull that makes crucial the detailed knowledge of these bone structures, mainly in solving problems of classification and determination of species. Emydidae is an important group of chelonians, but the cranial anatomy knowledge is limited, mainly of the species of the genus Trachemys . The aim of the present study is to describe the osteology (in particular, the intraspecific variations) of the skull and mandible of T. dorbigni . 82 specimens of T. dorbigni from the Herpetological Collection of the Laboratory of Vertebrate Zoology/Institute of Biology/Universidade Federal de Pelotas were used in this study. The results indicated a set of characteristics not previously described for the specie’s skull, as well as several characteristics intraspecifically variable. Intraspecific variation was found in the pattern of jugal, frontal, prefrontal, vomer, quadratojugal and exoccipital bones, further the cases of absence and diversification in the position of the foramina praepalatinum and foramen nervi hypoglossi , and an observation of foramens that were not described in literature. Therefore, it is possible to state that there is considerable intraspecific variation in the Trachemys dorbigni ’s skull, although it maintains general characteristics similar to other Emydidae’s species.
ISSN:0720-213X
1432-234X
DOI:10.1007/s00435-020-00491-4