Daza Juan D, Abdala Virginia, Thomas Richard, Bauer Aaron M
Biology Department, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico 003931-3360.
J Morphol. 2008 Nov;269(11):1340-64. doi: 10.1002/jmor.10664.
A detailed description of the skull and jaw of the gecko Sphaerodactylus roosevelti is presented. The bones are described articulated and isolated with special consideration given to the type of suture among joining elements. S. roosevelti was compared with 109 gekkotan species to evaluate the osteological variation and to find characters for cladistic analysis. Changes in the skull associated with the miniaturization process are discussed within the sphaerodactylid geckos. A noticeable increase of overlapping sutures was observed in the snout of the smallest sphaerodactylids compared to other gekkotans. This pattern is convergent with that in miniaturized pygopodids and may be attributed to adaptations for decreasing mechanical resistance of the cranium during feeding or burrowing. New cranial characters support Sphaerodactylinae as a monophyletic group and should be useful for resolving questions such as their relationship with other gekkotans.
本文详细描述了罗氏球趾虎（Sphaerodactylus roosevelti）的头骨和下颚。文中描述了骨骼的关节连接和分离情况，并特别考虑了连接部位之间的缝合类型。将罗氏球趾虎与109种壁虎科物种进行比较，以评估其骨骼变异情况，并寻找用于系统发育分析的特征。在球趾虎属壁虎中讨论了与小型化过程相关的头骨变化。与其他壁虎科动物相比，在最小的球趾虎属动物的吻部观察到重叠缝合显著增加。这种模式与小型化的鳞脚蜥科动物的模式趋同，可能归因于在进食或挖掘过程中为降低颅骨机械阻力而进行的适应性变化。新的颅骨特征支持球趾虎亚科作为一个单系类群，应该有助于解决诸如它们与其他壁虎科动物的关系等问题。
