This title was published by Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press
on 20 October 2009:
Mead, J. G., and R. E. Fordyce. 2009. The therian skull: a lexicon
with emphasis on the odontocetes. Smithsonian Contributions to
Zoology 627:1-248.
Abstract:
Cetaceans form one of the most unique groups in the evolutionary
history of mammals. They have returned to the sea and modified their
tail as an efficient means of locomotion. As they adapted to the
limited visibility in the aquatic environment, the odontocetes
developed a system of echolocation that resulted in extensive
modifications to the skull bones. This made descriptive comparisons
very difficult and early anatomists unwittingly composed new terms
for anatomical structures that had already been named in other taxa.
This made anatomical comparisons, based on the literature, extremely
tenuous.
This lexicon is an attempt to remedy that situation in that it
provides headwords and definitions for all the terms that have been
used in describing the mammal skull and notes the synonymous terms.
The lexicon includes the human nomenclature (Nomina Anatomica), the
veterinary nomenclature (Nomina Anatomica Veterinaria) and the
nomenclature that is used in descriptive comparative anatomy. The
lexicon covers not only extant but extinct mammalian groups and is
extensively indexed.
The monograph is available as a free pdf download from the SI Press
website via:
www.sil.si.edu/smithsoniancontributions/Zoology/
The authors realise there is no end to lexicography, and are already
compiling terms for a second edition in which we plan to include
mysticetes. With this aim, we would welcome comments on entries in
the current volume. It will help if your email subject line mentions
"Lexicon".
James G. Mead, Ph.D.
Curator of Marine Mammals
Division of Mammals,
Smithsonian Institution
NHB 394, MRC 108
P.O. Box 37012
Washington, DC 20013-7012
R. Ewan Fordyce
Head, Department of Geology, University of Otago,
PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, NZ, and
Research Associate, Division of Mammals,
Smithsonian Institution
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