Lacertidae

Villa, Andrea & Delfino, Massimo, 2019, A comparative atlas of the skull osteology of European lizards (Reptilia: Squamata), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 187 (3), pp. 828-928 : 868

Lacertidae ( Fig. 26E–H )

The vomerine process of the palatine of lacertids is dorsally concave, moderately long, moderately large and has a pointed anterior projection. The projection is well developed in Algyroides , Ar. bedriagae , Da. oxycephala , Di. mosorensis , H. graeca , I. bonnali , I. cyreni , I. monticola , Ophisops elegans , Po. bocagei , Po. carbonelli , Po. hispanicus , Po. lilfordi , Po. melisellensis , Po. muralis , Po. pityusensis , Po. siculus , Po. tiliguerta and Z. vivipara ( Fig. 26G, H ), and poorly developed in other species ( Fig. 26E, F ). According to Barahona (1996), the projection is absent in Lacerta bilineata ( Lacerta viridis in her text), but a well-developed one was present in at least some of the specimens we studied.The maxillary process is moderately long, wide, laminar and subtrapezoidal, with a pointed corner that develops posterolaterally. Its anterolateral margin is strongly oblique in all species ( Fig. 26G, H ), except for Ac. erythrurus and Ophisops elegans , in which the inclination is distinctly less marked ( Fig. 26E, F ). The infraorbital foramen is wide and is flanked medially by an anteriorly directed and moderately developed lappet, which is located on the ventral surface of the bone. The pterygoid process is long, moderately wide and subrectangular, with slightly convergent lateral and medial margins. The posterior end, contacting the pterygoid, has a V-shaped notch in the middle, flanked by two pointed projections. The size of these projections is usually similar, but they can undergo a significant individual variation. The palatine ridge is well developed and projects anterodorsally with a short laminar expansion. The choanal duct is wide, occupying almost the entire ventral surface of the bone. There are no palatine teeth.

Figures

Figure 26. Palatines. A–B, Laudakia stellio (HUJ.OST-Z-424), right palatine in dorsal (A) and ventral (B) views. C–D, Chamaeleo chamaeleon (NHMW 611), left palatine in dorsal (C) and ventral (D) views. E–F, Ac. erythrurus (UAM.R.ACVII), right palatine in dorsal (E) and ventral (F) views. G–H, I. monticola cantabrica (UAM.R.Lm92), left palatine in dorsal (G) and ventral (H) views. I–J, Ab. kitaibelii (MDHC 239), left palatine in dorsal (I) and ventral (J) views. K–L, Chalcides chalcides (MDHC 398), left palatine in dorsal (K) and ventral (L) views. M–N, Ophiomorus punctatissimus (MDHC 427), right palatine in dorsal (M) and ventral (N) views. O–P, Tr. aurata (MDHC 280), right palatine in dorsal (O) and ventral (P) views. Q–R, Anguis gr. An. fragilis (MDHC 102), left palatine in dorsal (Q) and ventral (R) views. S–T, Pseudopus apodus (MDHC 215), left palatine in dorsal (S) and ventral (T) views (the anterior end is broken). Abbreviations: ap, anterior projection of the vomerine process; asm, articulation surface with the maxilla; asp, articulation surface with the pterygoid; cc, choanal duct; if, infraorbital foramen; l, lappet; mp, maxillary process; pp, pterygoid process; pr, palatine ridge; sd, sulcus dorsalis; vp, vomerine process. Scale bars = 1 mm.