Academic Journal

The tympanic region of Otaria byronia (Otariidae, Carnivora) – morphology, ontogeny, age classes and dimorphism

التفاصيل البيبلوغرافية
العنوان: The tympanic region of Otaria byronia (Otariidae, Carnivora) – morphology, ontogeny, age classes and dimorphism
المؤلفون: Loza, Cleopatra Mara, Scarano, Alejo Carlos, Galliari, Fernando Carlos, Soibelzon, Leopoldo Héctor, Negrete, Javier, Carlini, Alfredo Armando
سنة النشر: 2018
المجموعة: Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP): SeDiCI (Servicio de Difusión de la Creación Intelectual)
مصطلحات موضوعية: Ciencias Naturales, ontogeny, Otaria byronia, sexual dimorphism, South American sea lion, tympanic bulla
الوصف: Here we describe and explore for the first time the ontogeny and sexual dimorphism of the auditory region of Otaria byronia . We studied the tympanic region of skulls of 237 specimens of different ages and sexes. Geometric morphometric methods were used to analyze the tympanic bulla. In addition, 3D reconstructions of the tympanic bulla were performed using computed tomography analysis scans and a serial wearing technique. We provide a description of the external and internal morphology of the tympanic bulla in both sexes and across different stages (bioclasses). The average shape of the bulla in O. byronia has a subtriangular contour, with variations between sexes and ages. Each stage (bioclasses I, II, and III) is characterized by the respective mean shape of the tympanic bulla and designated as a morphoclass (1, 2, and 3). In all cases, the ectotympanic shows greater surface area than the endotympanic, as in other otariids, in contrast to Phocidae. During ontogeny, the relative size of the ectotympanic increases, growing in all directions and covering the endotympanic. This pattern is seen to the greatest extent in adult males, in which the ectotympanic forms an extremely well-developed apophysis jugulare. No differences in internal morphology of the tympanic cavity were recorded between ages and sexes. The bulla does not increase in thickness in successive age classes; in fact, the walls are extremely thin in the adult stages, despite the extensive development of its processes. This pattern is opposite that observed in Phocidae. In morphoclass 3, adult males older than 7 years undergo hypermorphic change that results in a peramorphic condition when compared to adult females. These changes probably follow the same pattern shown by the rest of the skull and contribute to the marked sexual dimorphism of the species. ; Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo
نوع الوثيقة: article in journal/newspaper
وصف الملف: application/pdf; 54-71
اللغة: English
Relation: http://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/handle/10915/127129
الاتاحة: http://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/handle/10915/127129
Rights: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ ; Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
رقم الانضمام: edsbas.CA5EE0F7
قاعدة البيانات: BASE