title: The musculature of the hip and thigh of the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus, Rafinesque, 1832).
abstract: The musculature of the hip and thigh of the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) is illustrated and described with emphasis on origins and insertions of individual muscles. Published works on the myology of domestic Bovidae (Bos taurus; Ovis aries; Capra hircus), Camelidae (Camelus bactrianus; Lama glama) and Cervidae (Cervus nannodes-canadensis) have been used for comparisons of individual muscles. The musculature of the hip and thigh of Odocoileus is substantially similar to that of other Artiodactyla investigated, except for slight differences of individual muscles. The most obvious differences involve the mm. obturatorius externus, obturatorius internus and pectineus. In Odocoileus as in domestic Bovidae and Cervus, the m. obturatorius externus is divided into an intrapelvic and an extrapelvic part whereas in Camelidae the intrapelvic part of the muscle is lacking. In the species considered, the m. obturatorius internus is present only in Camelus and Lama. In Odocoileus, the m. pectineus is divided into two distinct parts whereas in other Artiodactyla investigated the division lies apparent only toward its insertion.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003670:Deer / Q000502:physiology*; D005552:Forelimb; D006614:Hindlimb; D006615:Hip / Q000502:physiology; D009132:Muscles / Q000502:physiology*; D013045:Species Specificity