Tooth replacement patterns in the Early Triassic epicynodont Galesaurus planiceps (Therapsida, Cynodontia)

PLoS One. 2020 Dec 30;15(12):e0243985. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0243985. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

Sixteen specimens of the Early Triassic cynodont Galesaurus planiceps (including eight that were scanned using micro-computed tomography) representing different ontogenetic stages were assembled to study the dental replacement in the species. The growth series shows that the incisors and postcanines continue to develop and replace, even in the largest (presumably oldest) specimen. In contrast, replacement of the canines ceased with the attainment of skeletal maturity, at a basal skull length of ~90 mm, suggesting that Galesaurus had a finite number of canine replacement cycles. Additionally, the functional canine root morphology of these larger specimens showed a tendency to be open-rooted, a condition not previously reported in Mesozoic theriodonts. An alternating pattern of tooth replacement was documented in the maxillary and mandibular postcanine series. Both postcanine series increased in tooth number as the skull lengthened, with the mandibular postcanine series containing more teeth than the maxillary series. In the maxilla, the first postcanine is consistently the smallest tooth, showing a proportional reduction in size as skull length increased. The longer retention of a tooth in this first locus is a key difference between Galesaurus and Thrinaxodon, in which the mesial-most postcanines are lost after replacement. This difference has contributed to the lengthening of the postcanine series in Galesaurus, as teeth continued to be added to the distal end of the tooth row through ontogeny. Overall, there are considerable differences between Galesaurus and Thrinaxodon relating to the replacement and development of their teeth.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Dinosaurs / anatomy & histology*
  • Dinosaurs / classification
  • Fossils / anatomy & histology*
  • Maxilla / anatomy & histology
  • Phylogeny
  • Tooth / anatomy & histology*

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the National Research Foundation (www.nrf.ac.za) Award ID UID 95980 to JB, and a Professional Development Programme Doctoral Scholarship to LAN; the Palaeontological Scientific Trust (www.past.org.za) to JB and BSR; the DSI/NRF Centre of Excellence in Palaeosciences (www.wits.co.za/coepalaeo) to JB and BSR; and the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (www.conicet.gov.ar) to FA. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.