Navegando por Assunto "black caiman"

Agora exibindo 1 - 3 de 3

Artigo
Description of embryonic stages in Melanosuchus niger (Spix, 1825) (Crocodylia: Alligatoridae).
(J. Morphol. Sci, 2011) Vieira, L.G.; Lima, F.C.; Santos, A.L.Q; Mendonça, S.H.S.T.;; Moura, L.R.,; Iasbeck, J.R.; Sebben, A.
The determination of embryonic stages is very useful in comparative and evolutionary anatomy, experimental research and ecological studies. Although tables of development stages already exist for some crocodilian species, no table has yet been published for Melanosuchus niger. Therefore, the aim of this work is to monitor the development of this species of Alligatoridae and characterize its stages based on the main morphological transformations the embryo undergoes during the incubation process. Under natural conditions, two samples were collected daily in the Lake Cuniã Extractive Reserve in Rondônia, Brazil, making a total of 186 eggs. The incubation period was 90 days at an ambient temperature varying from 25.2 to 31.7 °C. We established 24 embryonic stages between the formation of the pharyngeal arch and hatching. Primordia for the sensory organs and somites were observed in the early stages. The buds of the pelvic and thoracic limbs emerged simultaneously, also in the early stages. An analysis of these structures showed evidence of considerable evolutionary modifications when compared with embryos of different species. In stage 12 we observed subtle pigmentation in the region of the head and, in stage 25, the pigmentation and striped pattern were typical of the newly hatched specimen. The eyetooth was visible in stage 18, disappearing within the first few weeks after hatching. The vitellus was completely absorbed in the penultimate stage. Direct comparisons of the table of embryonic stages were made between M. niger and other crocodilian taxa, and the main differences identified were chronological variations.
Artigo
Ontogeny of the appendicular skeleton in Melanosuchus niger (Crocodylia: Alligatoridae).
(National Library of Medicine, 2016-08) Vieira, Lucélia Gonçalves; Santos, André Luiz Quaqliatto; Lima, Fabiano Campos; de Mendonça, Sônia Helena Santesso Teixeira; Menezes, Lorena Tannus; Sebben, Antônio
The objective of the present study was to analyze chondrogenesis and the ossification pattern of the limbs of Melanosuchus niger in order to contribute with possible discussions on homology and the fusion pattern of autopodial elements and phylogeny. In the Reserva Extrativista do Lago Cuniã, Rondônia, Brazil, six nests were marked and two eggs removed from each nest at 24-hour intervals until hatching. Embryos were cleared using KOH; bone tissue was stained with alizarin red S and cartilage with Alcian blue. Routine staining with HE was also performed. In the pectoral girdle, the scapula showed ossification centers before the coracoid process. In the pelvic girdle, the ilium and the ischium were condensed as a single cartilage, although ossification took place through two separate centers, forming distinct elements in the adult. The pubis developed from an independent cartilaginous center with free end, which reflects its function in breathing. In the initial stages, the stylopodium and the zeugopodium developed from the condensation of a Y-shaped cartilage in the limbs, and differentiation of the primary axis and digital arch were observed. The greatest changes were observed in the mesopodia. In their evolution, Crocodylia underwent a vast reduction in the number of autopodial elements as a consequence of fusions and ossification of some elements. This study shows that the chondrogenesis and ossification sequences are dissociated. Moreover, the differences between M. niger and other species show clear variation in the patterns for these events in Alligatoridae.
Artigo
Ontogeny of the postcranial axial skeleton of Melanosuchus niger (Crocodylia, Alligatoridae)
(National Library of Medicine, 2018-04) Vieira, LucéLia Gonçalves; Lima, Fabiano Campos; Mendonôa, Sônia Helena Santesso Teixeira; Menezes, Lorena Tannús; Hirano, Líria Queiroz Luz; Santos, André Luiz Quagliatto
This study proposes the description of the development of the postcranial axial skeleton, including vertebrae, gastralium, ribs, sternum, and interclavicle, in Melanosuchus niger. Six nests were marked and two eggs removed from each nest at 24-hr intervals until hatching. For posthatching evaluation, 30 hatchlings were kept in captivity and one exemplar was euthanized at three-day intervals. Samples were diaphanized using potassium hydroxide (KOH), alizarin red S, and Alcian blue. A routinely generally used method was applied for histological evaluation. It was difficult to define in which vertebrae the development of cartilaginous centers began, but it was possible to observe that this condensation advanced in the craniocaudal direction. The condensation started in the vertebral arches and was visibly stronger in the cervical and dorsal regions, advancing to the lumbar, sacral and, last, to the caudal region. The atlas showed a highly different morphology compared with the other cervical vertebrae, with a short intercenter, two neural arches, and a proatlas. The ossification process began in the body of cervical vertebrae III to VIII and alizarin retention decreased in the last vertebrae, indicating a craniocaudal direction in bone development, similar to cartilage formation. In the histological sections of gastralium and interclavicles of M. niger at several development stages, it was possible to observe that these elements showed intramembranous development.