title: Functional morphology of the mastication muscles in the lesser and greater mouse deer.
abstract: The mastication muscles were examined in the lesser (Tragulus javanicus) and greater mouse deer (Tragulus napu) to clarify the form of the mastication muscles in these primitive artiodactyls. The M. masseter was well-developed in both species, however the attachment area of its origin was not confirmed in the rostral facial part. The masseter bundles were not observed on the lateral side of the maxilla bone, and their origin was restricted to the zygomatic arch area. This suggests that the M. masseter may not act as a motor raising the mandible rostro-dorsally, but pull the insertion vertically unlike the highly derived grazer of Bovidae. The Crista temporalis was weak and the M. temporalis was thin in the mouse deer, and this indicates that the M. temporalis may not be important in the mastication in the primitive artiodactyls. These findings suggest that the browser such as mouse deer has been adapted for the feeding on soft leaves, and functional-morphologically different in mastication strategy from the grazer such as developed Bovidae species. The architecture of the mastication muscles was not different between the two species. However, in the muscle weight ratios per body weight, the M. temporalis and the M. digastricus were significantly smaller in greater mouse deer than in lesser mouse deer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, National Science Museum, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Endo
authors.forename: Junpei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: Motoki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: Mika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsuzaki
authors.forename: Hisashi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matsubayashi
authors.forename: Kazuaki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Katsuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fukuta
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D001835:Body Weight; D003670:Deer / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008410:Masticatory Muscles / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D009929:Organ Size; D012886:Skull / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D013045:Species Specificity