Capsular process
Encyclopedia
In rodent
s, the capsular process or projection is a bony capsule that contains the root of the lower incisor
. It is visible on the labial (outer) side of the mandible
(lower jaw) as a raising in the bone. There is marked variation within species in the development of this process.
Most oryzomyines
have a well-developed capsular process, which is usually located behind the coronoid process
, but many have a small one, usually located below the coronoid process, and some lack the structure entirely. Phyllotines and akodontines
are also variable in their development of a capsular process.
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
s, the capsular process or projection is a bony capsule that contains the root of the lower incisor
Incisor
Incisors are the first kind of tooth in heterodont mammals. They are located in the premaxilla above and mandible below.-Function:...
. It is visible on the labial (outer) side of the mandible
Mandible
The mandible pronunciation or inferior maxillary bone forms the lower jaw and holds the lower teeth in place...
(lower jaw) as a raising in the bone. There is marked variation within species in the development of this process.
Most oryzomyines
Oryzomyini
Oryzomyini is a tribe of rodents in the subfamily Sigmodontinae of family Cricetidae. It includes about 120 species in about thirty genera, distributed from the eastern United States to the southernmost parts of South America, including many offshore islands...
have a well-developed capsular process, which is usually located behind the coronoid process
Coronoid process of the mandible
The mandible's coronoid process is a thin, triangular eminence, which is flattened from side to side and varies in shape and size....
, but many have a small one, usually located below the coronoid process, and some lack the structure entirely. Phyllotines and akodontines
Akodontini
Akodontini is the second most speciose tribe of the subfamily Sigmodontinae. It includes at least 106 living species in 19 genera and is distributed mainly in the southern half of South America, with only two genera extending into Guyana and Venezuela . It also includes genera previously placed in...
are also variable in their development of a capsular process.
Literature cited
- Steppan, S.J. 1995. Revision of the tribe Phyllotini (Rodentia: Sigmodontinae), with a phylogenetic hypothesis for the Sigmodontinae. Fieldiana Zoology 80:1–112.
- Weksler, M. 2006. Phylogenetic relationships of oryzomyine rodents (Muroidea: Sigmodontinae): separate and combined analyses of morphological and molecular data. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 296:1–149.