Subsquamosal fenestra
Encyclopedia
In some rodent
s, the subsquamosal fenestra is an opening between two parts of the squamosal bone, at the back of the skull. It can be seen in lateral view. Most Oryzomyini
have the fenestra, but some species, including those in the genera Nectomys
, Sigmodontomys
, and Melanomys
among others, lack it.
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 subsquamosal fenestra is an opening between two parts of the squamosal bone, at the back of the skull. It can be seen in lateral view. Most Oryzomyini
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 the fenestra, but some species, including those in the genera Nectomys
Nectomys
Nectomys is a genus of rodent in the tribe Oryzomyini of family Cricetidae. It is closely related to Amphinectomys and was formerly considered congeneric with Sigmodontomys...
, Sigmodontomys
Sigmodontomys
Sigmodontomys is a genus of rodent in the tribe Oryzomyini of family Cricetidae. It is related to Nectomys and Melanomys and was previously included in Nectomys. It includes two species, Sigmodontomys alfari and the much rarer Sigmodontomys aphrastus, but whether these are indeed each other's...
, and Melanomys
Melanomys
Melanomys is a genus of rodent in the tribe Oryzomyini of family Cricetidae, which is distributed in northern South America and adjacent Central America. It contains three species, two of which—Melanomys robustulus and Melanomys zunigae—have limited distributions...
among others, lack it.
Literature cited
- 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.