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You Can't Run, but You Can Hide: The Skeleton of the Sand‐Swimmer Lizard Calyptommatus leiolepis (Squamata: Gymnophthalmidae)
Author(s) -
Holovacs Nicholas T.,
Daza Juan D.,
Guerra Cecilia,
Stanley Edward L.,
Montero Ricardo
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
the anatomical record
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.678
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1932-8494
pISSN - 1932-8486
DOI - 10.1002/ar.24246
Subject(s) - fossorial , squamata , biology , anatomy , snout , osteology , pectoral girdle , skeleton (computer programming) , axial skeleton , zoology
Squamates exhibit a vast diversity of body plans, which directly determines habitat use and preference. Here the skeleton of the sand‐swimmer burrower gymnophthalmid, Calyptommatus leiolepis , is analyzed to investigate how its peculiar fossorial locomotion affects its osteology. Calyptommatus leiolepis is a limb‐reduced, short‐intermediate tailed lizard. Although there are other studies on its general anatomy, we performed a detailed description of its skeleton. Using high‐resolution computer tomography, each bone element within the skeleton was digitally segmented and a detailed description rendered. Anatomical features related to burrowing include the head having a shovel‐like snout with a well‐developed horizontal soft tissue ridge, nasal cartilages that exclude sand from the nostrils, reduced eyes covered by a brille, lack of forelimbs, extreme reduction of hind limbs, and imbricated scales among others. The genus Calyptommatus has unique features such as a triradiate jugal (with digit‐like posterior projections), a reduced pectoral girdle and forelimbs, parasternal processes that interconnect the ribs, and a single digit in the hind limbs. When comparing this species with other gymnophthalmid lizards including, fossorial species, it is clear that Calyptommatus exhibits the highest number of structural modifications within the family. Despite its specialized morphology, it still retains characters that link this genus to other members of Gymnophthalmidae when included in a phylogeny based solely on phenotypic data. Anat Rec, 303:1305–1326, 2020. © 2019 American Association for Anatomy