Abstract
AbstractThe maxillary canal of the titanosuchid dinocephalian Jonkeria is described based on digitised serial sections. We highlight that its morphology is more like that of the tapinocephalid Moschognathus than that of Anteosaurus. This is unexpected given the similarities between the dentition of Jonkeria and Anteosaurus (i.e., presence of a canine) and the fact that the branching pattern of the maxillary canal in synapsids usually co-varies with dentition. Hypotheses to account for similarities between Jonkeria and Moschognathus (common ancestry, function in social signalling or underwater sensing) are discussed. It is likely that the maxillary canal carries a strong phylogenetic signal, here supporting the clade Tapinocephalia.
Funder
University of the Witwatersrand
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Subject
General Medicine,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics