Chamaeleonidae

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 : 888

Chamaeleonidae ( Fig. 40D–E )

Prootics of Chamaeleo chamaeleon lack an alar process. The paroccipital projection is moderately long. The incisura prootica and the recessus vena jugularis are not clearly distinguishable and the facial foramen is small. Only the (low) posterior portion of the crista prootica is present ( Fig. 40D ). The inner structures are poorly ossified and, therefore, they are not closed medially ( Fig. 40E ). There is no distinct groove for the perilymphatic duct and the cochlear crest is very poorly defined.

Figures

Figure 40. Prootics. A–C, Laudakia stellio (MDHC 245), right prootic in lateral (A), medial (B) and posterior (C) views. D–E, Chamaeleo chamaeleon (NHMW 611), left prootic in lateral (D) and medial (E) views. F–G, Po. muralis (MDHC 312), left prootic in medial (F) and posterior (G) views. H–I, H. graeca (MDHC 423), right prootic in medial (H) and posterior (I) views. J–K, Chalcides striatus (MDHC 404), right prootic in medial (J) and posterior (K) views. L–M, Anguis gr.An. fragilis (MDHC 49), left prootic in medial (L) and posterior (M) views. Abbreviations: aaf, anterior acoustic foramen; aip, anterior inferior process; amr, ampullary recess; ap, alar process; ar, acoustic recess; asc, anterior semicircular canal; ca, crista alaris; cac, cavum capsularis; ccr, cochlear crest; coc, cochlear cavity; cp, crista prootica; ff, facial foramen; gpd, groove for the perilymphatic duct; hsc, horizontal semicircular canal; ip, incisura prootica; paf, posterior acoustic foramen; pp, posterior process; ppp, projection of the posterior process; sf, notch of the sphenoccipital foramen; stp, superior trabecular process. Scale bars = 1 mm.