Annals of the South African MuseumAnnale van die Suid-Afrikaanse Museum . dorsomedial to the insertion of thelongus colli muscle. The muscle is innervated by a branch of the dorsal ramus of the firstspinal nerve. The m. rectus capitis anterior (ra, Fig. 8) is a group of short fibres extendingfrom the axis to the occiput. The muscle lies ventrolateral to the axis, the 204 ANNALS OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN MUSEUM atlas and the occipital condyle of the skull; medial to the longissimus capitismuscle and dorsal to the anterior part of the longus colli muscle with whichsome of its ventral fibres are confl
Annals of the South African MuseumAnnale van die Suid-Afrikaanse Museum . dorsomedial to the insertion of thelongus colli muscle. The muscle is innervated by a branch of the dorsal ramus of the firstspinal nerve. The m. rectus capitis anterior (ra, Fig. 8) is a group of short fibres extendingfrom the axis to the occiput. The muscle lies ventrolateral to the axis, the 204 ANNALS OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN MUSEUM atlas and the occipital condyle of the skull; medial to the longissimus capitismuscle and dorsal to the anterior part of the longus colli muscle with whichsome of its ventral fibres are confluent. It arises fleshily on the ventrolateral surface of the axis medial to thesynapophysis and ventrolateral^ on the atlas. The fibres insert fleshily on tothe basioccipital and exoccipital-opisthotic bones. The insertion lies ventralto the insertion of the rectus capitis posterior muscle, dorsal to the insertionof the longus colli muscle and dorsomedial to the insertion of the longissimuscapitis muscle. The muscle is innervated by a branch of the first spinal Fig. 17. Camera lucida drawing of the left lower jaw; lingual view. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS General The morphology of fossorial skinks in general is paralleled by that ofsnakes in many ways and it is therefore interesting to note that according to thetheory of Walls (1942) snakes originated as fossorial forms. Any evaluation ofthe musculature of Typhlosaurus aurantiacus must be made in the light of thefact that the animal leads a predominantly subterranean existence which doesnot involve the construction of burrows. Huey et al. (1974) describes Typhlo-saurus as a sand swimming lizard which normally moves in a lateral sinuouspath beneath the sand. T. aurantiacus has a subterminal mouth as in otherfossorial lizards, Acontias. The position of the mouth prevents soil particlesfrom entering the buccal cavity during burrowing movements. De Weerdt(1971) indicates that it is important to a fossorial lizard like D
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Keywords: ., bookauthorsouthafr, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookyear1898
