Abstract

JEREZ, Adriana; SANCHEZ-MARTINEZ, Paola María  and  GUERRA-FUENTES, Ricardo Arturo. Embryonic skull development in the neotropical viviparous skink Mabuya (Squamata: Scincidae). Acta Zool. Mex [online]. 2015, vol.31, n.3, pp.391-402. ISSN 2448-8445.

The systematics of the Americans skinks of the genus Mabuya have been extensively studied, with new arrangements based on molecular analysis. However, the skeletal morphology, their development and ontogenetic variation have been poorly studied in this genus. We described the embryonic skull development of three species of Mabuya and compare it with the African species Trachylepis capensis. We observed that American genus Mabuya presents differences in the skull development, including the pila antotica, orbitosphenoid, vomer, and the basicranial fenestra closure. These morphological differences in Mabuya species may be interpreted as putative synapomorphic characters.

Keywords : Skull development; chondrocranium; Mabuya; skin; Scincidae; Squamata.