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. Annals of the South African Museum = Annale van die Suid-Afrikaanse Museum. Natural history. 420 ANNALS OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN MUSEUM Further reduction of the epipterygoid has taken place in the lizards Agama, Lyriocephalus and Calotes (Ramas^vami, 1946), Ophioceps and Anniella (Jollie, i960), Phrynocephalus (Siebenrock, 1895), Physignatus, Chlamydosaurus and Amphibolurus (Beddard, 1905), \vhere the epipterygoid is very short. However, in the Chamaeleontidae, Dibamidae (Boulenger, 1887) and apparently most Amphisbaenidae (known only in Trogonophis, Bellairs, 1950), the epipterygoid is absent.
. Annals of the South African Museum = Annale van die Suid-Afrikaanse Museum. Natural history. 420 ANNALS OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN MUSEUM Further reduction of the epipterygoid has taken place in the lizards Agama, Lyriocephalus and Calotes (Ramas^vami, 1946), Ophioceps and Anniella (Jollie, i960), Phrynocephalus (Siebenrock, 1895), Physignatus, Chlamydosaurus and Amphibolurus (Beddard, 1905), \vhere the epipterygoid is very short. However, in the Chamaeleontidae, Dibamidae (Boulenger, 1887) and apparently most Amphisbaenidae (known only in Trogonophis, Bellairs, 1950), the epipterygoid is absent. In the Chelonia the epipterygoid is still present but very small (Parker, 1880) while it is much reduced or vestigial in Ophidia and Crocodilia, although the embryos of crocodiles still show the ascending process (Parker, 1883; Shiino, 1914). In birds it appears to be absent (Goodrich 1930), the quadrate being the only part of the palatoquadrate to be retained in the adult. Where present the epipterygoid lies lateral to the lateral head vein, postero-lateral to the profundus and antero-medial to the maxillary and mandibular branches and the orbital artery. In mammals the alisphenoid appears to be lost in Echidna. In this feature, as will be seen later, Echidna probably sho\\s reptilian affinities. In Dasyurus the dorsal end of the ala temporalis fuses \vith the orbital cartilage, but in all other mammals, as far as is known, the ala temporalis ends freely (De Beer, 1937). In Didelphis the alisphenoid lies between the profundus and maxillary rami, as in reptiles. In Trichosurus, Mils, Mustela and many others (De Beer,. lALISPHENOID/ ORBITAL FISSURE / FORAMEN OVALE FORAMEN ROTUNDUM Fig. 21. Felis domestica. Lateral view of skull with jugal arch cut away. 1937) the alisphenoid is pierced by the maxillary ramus (foramen rotundum), while in Felis (fig. 21), and the majority of mammals the mandibular ramus too may pass through it (foramen ovale). In the fourth group the maxillary eme
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectnaturalhistory, booky