Department of Biological Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
J Anat. 2022 Oct;241(4):1039-1053. doi: 10.1111/joa.13735. Epub 2022 Aug 3.
Gekkotan lizards of the genus Hemidactylus exhibit derived digital morphologies. These include heavily reduced antepenultimate phalanges of digits III and IV of the manus and digits III-V of the pes, as well as enigmatic cartilaginous structures called paraphalanges. Despite this well-known morphological derivation, no studies have investigated the development of these structures. We aimed to determine if heterochrony underlies the derived antepenultimate phalanges of Hemidactylus. Furthermore, we aimed to determine if convergently evolved paraphalanges exhibit similar or divergent developmental patterns. Herein we describe embryonic skeletal development in the hands and feet of four gekkonid species, exhibiting a range of digital morphologies. We determined that the derived antepenultimate phalanges of Hemidactylus are the products of paedomorphosis. Furthermore, we found divergent developmental patterns between convergently evolved paraphalanges.
壁虎科的壁虎属展示出衍生的数字形态。这些形态包括前肢第三和第四指以及后肢第三到五指的前节指骨严重退化，以及神秘的软骨结构，称为副栉骨。尽管存在这种众所周知的形态衍生，但尚未有研究调查这些结构的发育情况。我们旨在确定壁虎的衍生前节指骨是否是由异时性引起的。此外，我们旨在确定趋同进化的副栉骨是否表现出相似或不同的发育模式。在此，我们描述了四种壁虎科物种手和脚的胚胎骨骼发育情况，这些物种表现出一系列不同的数字形态。我们确定壁虎的衍生前节指骨是幼态发生的产物。此外，我们发现趋同进化的副栉骨之间存在不同的发育模式。
