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Anatomy of the very tiny: First description of the head skeleton of the rare South American catfish sarcoglanis simplex (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae)
Palaeontologia Electronica
  • Kerin M. Claeson, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • James W. Hagadorn
  • Kyle Luckenbill
  • John G. Lundberg
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2008
Abstract

The osteology of Sarcoglanis simplex, a rare, miniature South American catfish, is described for the first time based on a single, 17 mm adult specimen that was both cleared and Alizarin-stained, and visualized with microfocus computed tomography (MicroCT). Previously, the internal skeletal features of this species could be predicted based only on conditions observed in its closest relatives within the subfamily Sarcoglanidinae of the Trichomycteridae. The relatively new MicroCT technique successfully revealed fine details of the skeletal morphology of this tiny fish. As predicted, Sarcoglanis shares with Staurogianis, Stenolicmus, Malacoglanis, Microcambeva, and Ammoglanis an anterior ossification of the palatine and a large posteriorly directed dorsal process on the quadrate. Contrary to predictions, however, the mesethmoid of Sarcoglanis does not have the distal ends of the comua distinctly wider than at their bases, and the anterior margin of the mesethmoid is not convex.

Comments

This article was published in Palaeontologia Electronica, Volume 11, Issue 2.

The published version is available at http://palaeo-electronica.org/2008_2/130/130.pdf.

Copyright © 2008 Scopus.

Citation Information
Kerin M. Claeson, James W. Hagadorn, Kyle Luckenbill and John G. Lundberg. "Anatomy of the very tiny: First description of the head skeleton of the rare South American catfish sarcoglanis simplex (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae)" Palaeontologia Electronica Vol. 11 Iss. 2 (2008)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/kerin_claeson/11/