A study on the vertebral column of the dice snake Natrix tessellata (Serpentes, Natricidae) from Denizli (western Anatolia, Turkey)

0575808 - ÚTAM 2025 RIV US eng J - Článek v odborném periodiku
Akat Çömden, E. - Yenmiş, M. - Kytýř, Daniel - Ayaz, D. - Bayrakci, Y.
A study on the vertebral column of the dice snake Natrix tessellata (Serpentes, Natricidae) from Denizli (western Anatolia, Turkey).
Anatomical Record-Advances in Integrative Anatomy and Evolutionary Biology. Roč. 307, č. 5 (2024), s. 1930-1942. ISSN 1932-8486. E-ISSN 1932-8494
Institucionální podpora: RVO:68378297
Klíčová slova: micro-CT * Natrix * SEM * snake * vertebra
Obor OECD: 2.11 Other engineering and technologies
Impakt faktor: 2, rok: 2022
Způsob publikování: Open access
https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.25328

The vertebral anatomy of snakes has attracted the attention of researchers fordecades and numerous studies have been made for extinct and extant species. Thepresent study investigatedthe morphological variations in vertebral structureamong different vertebral regions in the dice snakeNatrix tessellata,andprovidesa detailed anatomical and microstructural description of the vertebral column.Vertebrae were analyzed and compared using x-ray imaging, scanning electronmicroscopy, micro-computed tomography,and histological techniques. The verte-bral column ofN. tessellatais divided into three regions: precloacal, cloacal, andcaudal. Unlike in many other tetrapods and snakes, the atlas ofN. tessellatadoesnot form a complete ring. It has a flat and roughly trilobate shape with a promi-nent middle lobe. The axis has two hypapophyses. The anterior precloacal regionof the vertebral column has longer and morepaddle-shaped hypapophyses, distin-guishing it from the posterior and mid-trunk vertebrae. The anterior cloacalvertebrae have a short hypapophysis rather than a hemal keel, and the lymphapo-physis extends outward, curving slightly. The cotyle and condyle of the caudal ver-tebrae exhibited a closer resemblance to a rounded shape, while thepleurapophysis extended ventrolaterallyand curved ventrally near its distal end.Paired hemapophyses were present at the posterior-most point of the centruminstead of a hypapophysis. In light of previous fossil findings, our anatomical com-parison of the vertebral and transverseprocesses indicates that the extantNatrixhas a more flexible and less rigid spine than its ancestors. Overall, the vertebraldifferences among snake anatomical regions or taxa are a testament to theremarkable diversity and adaptability of these fascinating reptiles.
Trvalý link: https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0345521