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Moxostoma lacerum, the harelip sucker, was the first member of the North American ichthyofauna to be documented as extinct. In the latest issue of Copeia, Fink and Humphries examine the unique morphology of the oral apparatus in this taxon using high-resolution X-ray computed tomography. They conclude that the animal likely sucked snails from their shells while holding the shells with a keratinized mandibular shelf. Learn more about this bizarre adaptation by reading the new DigiMorph account.
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| Menarana nosymena, madtsoiid snake | 18 Feb 2010 |  |
| Menarana nosymena is a new genus and species of madtsoiid snake from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar. It is described in the latest issue of the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology by Laduke and coauthors. Menarana (represented in part by this incomplete basicranium) appears to have been a headfirst burrowing snake, or at least had burrowing ancestry. Learn more about Menarana and the snakes with which it coexisted by reading this new DigiMorph account.
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| Oreodont, Bathygenys reevesi | 21 Dec 2009 |  |
| Cranial endocast anatomy has been documented for most major lineages of mammals, revealing phylogenetic signal in the nervous system. There has been little consideration, however, of intraspecific variation in cranial endocast anatomy. This deficiency is addressed by T.E. Macrini in a newly published study of cranial endocasts of the oreodont Bathygenys reevesi, a small hoofed mammal known from the Eocene of Texas. Learn more about his findings by reading this new DigiMorph account.
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| Dibrachichthys melanurus, Shallow-water Anglerfish | 28 Sep 2009 |  |
| Dibrachichthys melanurus is a new genus and species of shallow-water anglerfish recently described by Theodore Pietsch and coauthors. It is know from near-shore coastal waters of Queensland, Northern Territory, Western Australia, and the Aru Islands, southeastern Indonesia. It differs from its sister species, Tetrabrachium ocellatum (also new on DigiMorph) in having the pectoral fin entire rather than divided into two disctinct sections. Learn more about these interesting creatures by reading the new DigiMorph accounts.
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| And now, for something a little bit different... | 01 Sep 2009 |  |
| In honor of Back to School, DigiMorph presents an antiphonal, or collection of devotional compositions, that was printed in 1584 in Mexico by Pedro Ocharte. This priceless volume was CT scanned while inside its protective case, then digitally 'cracked open' to reveal the pages inside. Because the ink used during this time period contains iron, the letters on the pages are visible in the CT imagery. Learn more about this unusual addition to DigiMorph by reading the new account by Dr. Ellen Cunningham-Krupta of The University of Texas.
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| Theropod Dinosaur, Incisivosaurus gauthieri | 15 Jul 2009 |  |
| A new paper by Amy Balanoff and coauthors describes the holotype skull of the oviraptorosaur Incisivosaurus gauthieri, from Early Cretaceous rocks of northeastern China. Computed tomography revealed, among other things, the presence of a replacement tooth behind the large rodentiform incisor, demonstrating that Incisivosaurus' unique teeth were replaced in typical archosaurian fashion. Learn more by reading this new DigiMorph account.
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