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The anatomy of the hand of certain insectivores
Author(s) -
Haines R. Wheeler
Publication year - 1955
Publication title -
proceedings of the zoological society of london
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.915
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1469-7998
pISSN - 0370-2774
DOI - 10.1111/j.1096-3642.1955.tb00626.x
Subject(s) - anatomy , insectivora , arboreal locomotion , biology , zoology , ecology , habitat
S ummary1 Graphical reconstructions were studied from serial sections of the hands of Ptilocercus, Tupaia, Elephantulus and Crocidura2 In all these insectivores and in Erinaceus the contrahentes and flexores breves profundi arise by a common fibrous sheet from the distal row of carpal bones, and have no metacarpal attachment. 3 The presence of this specialization suggests that the Insectivora constitute a, natural group. 4 Crocidura and other Soricidae have a complete set of smooth palmar, pads, and carpal vibrissae are developed, but many short palmer muscles have been lost. 5 The pollex is dwarfed in Elephantulus as in other Macroscelididae, and the thenar pads have been lost, but a full set of palmar muscles is retained. 6 The striation of the pads and the presence of raphés between the contrahentes in the Tupaiidae are probably arboreal specializations. 7 While the primitive eutherian hand probably resembled that of Crocidura in outward appearance, its musculature resembled that of Elephantulus , except that the flexores breves profundi arose from the metacarpals. 8 Hand anatomy constitutes no evidence either for or against the association of the Tupaiidae end Macroscelididae in a single suborder (Menotyphla) but divergent specialization of the contrahentes excludes any close association of the Tupaiidae with the Lemuridae.