Scientific Research and Essays

  • Abbreviation: Sci. Res. Essays
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1992-2248
  • DOI: 10.5897/SRE
  • Start Year: 2006
  • Published Articles: 2768

Full Length Research Paper

Skeletogenesis of the pelvic girdle and pelvic members in embryos of Caiman yacare (Crocodylia: Alligatoridae)

Fabiano Campos Lima1*, André Luiz Quagliatto Santos2, Lucélia Gonçalves Vieira2, Cristiele Nunes Souto1, Sônia Helena Santesso Teixeira de Mendonça3, Simone Borges Salgueiro De Simone2, Clarissa de Araújo Martins4 and Marcos Eduardo Coutinho3
1Laboratório de Anatomia Humana e Comparativa, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Campus Jataí – UFG, BR 364, Km 193, Setor Parque Industrial, 3800, 75801-615, Jataí, GO. 2Laboratório de Ensino e Pesquisa em Animais Silvestres. Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Rua Ceará s/n, Bloco 2F, 38400-000, Uberlândia, MG. 3Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, ICMBio, Centro de Conservação e Manejo de Répteis e Anfíbios, EQSW 103/104 Bloco C, Setor Sudoeste 70670-350 Brasília – DF. 4Universidade para o Desenvolvimento do Estado e da Região do Pantanal, Rua Alexandre Herculano 1400, 79037-280, Campo Grande – MS.
Email: [email protected]

  •  Accepted: 25 September 2013
  •  Published: 18 November 2013

Abstract

Caiman yacare embryos were collected and subjected to the bone cleared and Alizarin staining to analyze the ontogenic patterns of the skeletal ossification of the pelvic girdle and members. Ossification of C. yacare pelvis begins at 36 days of incubation. The femur, tibia and fibula present simultaneous stain retention at 30 days. It has four tarsal bones, the calcaneus, the talus, distal III and distal IV. Their ossification starts with the calcaneus from the 40th day of incubation, followed by the talus. At 54 days, the distal tarsal IV is conspicuous, as is the outline of the distal III. Each foot has five metatarsi (MT) and 13 phalanges (phalangeal formula 2:3:4:4). Ossification of the metatarsi begins at 36 days and follows the sequence MTI=MTII=MTIII=MTIV>MTV. The first phalanges begin the ossification process on the 36th day and continue up to the last day of incubation. The sequence of ossification of the proximal phalanges is PPI=PPII=PPIII>PPIV, while that of the medial phalanges is MPII> MPpIII>MDpIII>MPpIV>MDpIV and that of the distal phalanges is DPI>DPII>DPIII>DPIV, and the ontogenic pattern of the bones of the pelvic girdle and members of C. yacare differs from that of other reptiles, albeit with a few similarities.

Key words: Alizarin, morphology, ossification, pantanal caiman, reptiles.