Meeting Abstract

138.5  Monday, Jan. 7  Myolgy of the Foot-Leg Mechanical Unit of Anolis antonii (Boulenger, 1908) (Squamata, Polychrotidae) MANTILLA, D.C.*; HOYOS, J.M.; Florida International University, Miami; Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogota, Colombia dmant010@fiu.edu

Understanding the morphological characteristics of an organism opens the possibility of making future morphofunctional and systematic studies. The aim of the present study is to define the general myology of the foot-leg mechanical unit of the lizard Anolis antonii (Boulenger, 1908). This was done by the observation of the leg and foot muscles with a stereoscope, their description by dissecting them, their identification, and their comparison with the available literature. We identify foot and leg muscles as well as the ones belonging to the foot-leg mechanical unit, and describe two new muscles which we name: m. extensor digitorum brevis profundus IV and m. extensor digitorum brevis profundus IV-V. Our observations and comparisons indicate several differences between the descriptions of the literature and the ones suggested in the present paper. This new information may have great potential systematic value, since it can be considered as characters for future cladistic studies to assess whether they are synapomorphies or autapomorphies, and may serve as a starting point in biomechanic studies.