Deciduous Premolars Research Articles

New record of an immature Notiomastodon cf. platensis (Mammalia, Proboscidea) from Pernambuco State, Northeastern Brazil

Proboscideans are megamammals widely recorded in South America Quaternary deposits, especially in Brazil, where many specimens were found in tanks and caves. In tank deposits, the fossil remains are usually recognized as adult individuals, although highly and usually fragmented. The records of immature proboscideans are rare, consisting of isolated teeth and jaw fragments, especially from tank deposits. Here we describe a new and rare occurrence of an immature proboscidean — a second upper left deciduous premolar (DP2) of Notiomastodon cf. platensis — from Pernambuco state, Brazil. This record increases the number of immature individuals known for Notiomastodon in Brazil, contributes to the understanding of the frequency of immature individuals in tank deposits, and increases Notiomastodon geographic distribution in South America. Keywords: South America, Quaternary, Notiomastodon platensis, immature, tank deposit.

Looking the River Horse in the Mouth: New Insights on Incisors, Canine Curvatures and Mulling the Molars

Tooth numbers, types, eruption patterns, occlusion, and timing of tooth replacement in the living hippopotamus species, Hippopotamus amphibius (common or Nile hippo) and Choeropsis liberiensis (pygmy hippo), were examined. We discovered inaccuracies in the published dental formula of H. amphibius, and present the corrected dental formula in this study. By examining crania and mandibles ranging in chronological age from late fetal or neonatal to aged adult hippos, we also identified the relative timing of tooth eruption and growth rates for both deciduous and permanent dentitions. Living hippos have ever‐growing incisors and canines that shape the anterior rostrum for foraging and intraspecific competition. Despite their highly differential use of the canines, with H. amphibius using these teeth for intraspecific aggression and display while pygmy hippos use them in foraging, the canine teeth of both living taxa are greatly enlarged in comparison to other components of the dentitions. In fact, Hippopotamus amphibius has some of the largest canine teeth among mammals. In addition to thegosis, or wear caused by tooth‐tooth contact, foraging behavior and tongue wear cause incisor attrition, albeit deriving from different species‐specific tooth usage. As individuals of H. amphibius grow, the erupting canines show lateral displacement, which correlates with anterior rostral elongation. This dramatic change in both length and width of the face in H. amphibius allows the roots of the enlarging canine teeth to occupy increased space in the maxilla and mandible. Despite facial elongation, enlargement of the recurved roots of the ever‐growing canines drastically reduces space for the alveolus of the first and sometimes the second premolar. In some cases this results in the elimination of one or more premolars from the adult dentition. These losses may not be symmetrical in either maxilla or mandible. In other cases, all deciduous premolars may be retained into adulthood, resulting in the published conclusion that the number of premolars in H. amphibius is variable, a phenomenon that is rare among mammals. In contrast, in C. liberiensis the canines enlarge to a relatively lesser degree and do not displace the deciduous premolars; therefore pygmy hippos retain the full premolar complement, explaining the dichotomy in dental formulae between the two species. This study also expands a previous rubric for chronological age determination in H. amphibius, wherein mandibles were divided into twenty stages to include characterization of the dentitions of the correlated skulls (N = 34). The crania examined represented thirteen of twenty H. amphibius age classes. These specimens are housed in the osteological collections of the Smithsonian Institution (USNM) and the Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH). This chronological aging method was also adapted to provide a relative age of skulls and mandibles (N = 15) representing ten of the twenty age classes of C. liberiensis from the same collections. Observations reveal that an increased time interval between successive molar eruptions in H. amphibius may reflect adaptation to a lifespan of up to sixty years, a phenomenon not seen in C. liberiensis.Support or Funding InformationNot applicable

Mammoths, Deer, and a Dog: Fossil and (Sub) Recent Allochthonous Remains from the Northeastern Croatia (Podravina Region), with the First Radiocarbon Dating of the Croatian Woolly Mammoths (Mammuthus primigenius)

Eight anatomically and taxonomically different finds are presented in this paper, and they belong to four taxa: woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius), giant deer (Megaloceros giganteus), red deer (Cervus elaphus), and dog (Canis familiaris). All specimens represent allochthonous Late Pleistocene and Holocene animal remains, and all were dredged during the gravel exploitation at the Sekuline site near Molve (Podravina region, SW Pannonian basin, NE Croatia). Mammoth remains (bone and tusk fragments) were radiocarbon dated, and these are the first absolute dates on mammoths in Croatia. One upper last left deciduous premolar (dP4 sin.) also belongs to the same species. Ascribed to a dog is one well-preserved skull with a peculiar abscess scar on the maxillary bone as the result of an inflammatory process on the carnassial (P4) premolar. The Late Pleistocene cervid remains are giant deer, while the other cervid finds were determined to be red deer of the Holocene age. Morphometrical and taphonomical data are presented for each specimen. Such fossil and recent bone/tooth aggregates are characteristic of fluvial deposits and selective collecting. Although lacking stratigraphic provenance, these finds help to fulfil the gaps in palaeoenvironmental, palaeoecological, and palaeoclimate reconstructions of Podravina and its neighbouring areas.

Tooth Outline Shape Analysis of the Ryukyu Wild Boar (Sus scrofa riukiuanus) and the Japanese Wild Boar (S. s. leucomystax) by Geometric Morphometrics

We examined whether the shapes of the teeth could be used to distinguish morphological differences of modern Sus scrofa between subspecies, and between regions. The occlusal outlines of the lower teeth of five populations of the Ryukyu wild boar (S. s. riukiuanus) and two populations of the Japanese wild boar (S. s. leucomystax) were photographed and digitized into landmarks. The landmark coordinates were statistically compared among the populations. As a result, correct assignment rates of the populations based on their tooth shape was the highest for the fourth deciduous premolar. Pairwise test detected significant differences in tooth outline shape between the two subspecies. In addition, the tooth outline shapes of geographically adjacent populations tended to be similar. The results in this study indicated that the evaluation of tooth outline shapes, especially that of the fourth deciduous premolar, is a powerful approach for distinguishing subspecies of S. scrofa as well as for evaluating geographic variation among them. This method is useful in archaeological and paleontological studies because of its applicability for isolated teeth, and has potential to increase our understanding about the history of macroevolution, migration, and introduction of S. scrofa in the Japanese archipelago.

Morphology of the lower deciduous premolars of South American hystricomorph rodents and age of the Octodontoidea

We analyse the crest homologies of lower deciduous premolars (Dp4) of South American caviomorphs in a comparative context including other hystricomorphs and under a dynamic topological criterion. An hexalophodont pattern in which the three anteriormost crests are assumed to be the anterolophid, metalophulid I and metalophulid II, respectively, is proposed as ancestral morphology. Simplified pentalophodont morphologies would have resulted from loss of the metalophulid I, and distinct transformation pathways are recognised especially for Octodontoidea and Cavioidea. A basal octodontoid morphological pattern can be recognised in the fossil record from as early as the middle Eocene, supporting that an initial divergence among major clades of caviomorphs had already occurred by this time. Programs for identifying potentially useful dental characters in phylogeny and taxonomy of caviomorphs need to be revised. Interpreting lophids as dynamic components in the morpho-functional variation of molars, rather than as static landmarks, is central for understanding dental evolution in these rodents.

Molar eruption and identification of the eastern grey kangaroo (<i>Macropus giganteus</i>) at different ages

To treat dental disorders and estimate age, it is important that veterinarians understand teeth eruption sequence for the animal in question. Few dental images of the eastern grey kangaroo have been published. In the present study, radiographic imagings of 29 kangaroos, ranging in age from 12 months to 10 years 9 months, was used to surveil the replacement of premolars and the eruption of molars. These images revealed eruption patterns in five stages, while the second and third deciduous premolars were shed non-systematically. Furthermore, the third premolars and fourth molars erupted in the mandible earlier than in the maxilla, which may contribute to the frequency of mandibular dental disorders.

Dental anomalies inCaluromys(Marsupialia, Didelphimorphia, Didelphidae, Caluromyinae) and a reassessment of malformations in New World marsupials (Didelphimorphia, Microbiotheria and Paucituberculata)

AbstractDental anomalies have been documented in almost all mammalian orders, and include supernumerary or missing teeth, teeth with aberrant occlusal surfaces and/or roots and teeth in unusual positions. Our objectives were the description and categorization of dental anomalies in all species of the genusCaluromys. We studied 462 crania, recorded and classified dental anomalies in four categories: variations in occlusal/root morphology; teeth in unusual positions; supernumerary/missing teeth; presence of unshed deciduous premolars. We found anomalies in all species, with a percentage ranging from 11% to 6.3%.Caluromys derbianusproduced anomalous M4/m4 and flipped crowns, the other two species produced higher numbers of missing teeth. We infer that flipped crowns might have consequences in mastication, while other anomalies seem to be less functionally important, especially those at the end of the toothrow. Comparisons with other New World marsupials show caluromyines have more anomalies in M4/m4 shape (similar to microbiotherids) and flipped crowns, while didelphids have more supernumerary teeth, and caenolestids have more missing teeth.

Re-examination of the Jurassic Mammaliaform Docodon victor by Computed Tomography and Occlusal Functional Analysis

Docodon was the first described docodont, and has long featured prominently in the comparative and functional morphology of mammaliaform mandibles and teeth. We have now re-examined the dental and mandibular fossils of Docodon from Yale Quarry 9 at the Como Bluff site in the Late Jurassic Morrison Formation, using Computed Tomography (CT) scans and 3D image analyses. Our CT study revealed that some features used to distinguish the several Docodon “species” in historical studies many decades ago were based on incorrect manual restoration of mandibles, and on variable features of deciduous premolars, which are replaced in typical mammaliaform fashion. This supports a long-held notion that the multiple species of Docodon from the same quarry of the Morrison Formation are over-split and should be synonymized. We formally propose that the specimens examined in this study be synonymized under Docodon victor. Our new Occlusal Fingerprint Analysis (OFA) of Docodon molars supports the hypothesis that Docodon had a consistent dorso-posterior or palinal component in chewing in the disto-distolingual to distolingual direction. This helps to resolve the controversial historical alternative hypotheses postulated for tooth occlusion in the taxon. The Docodon occlusal pattern is likely a derived feature, evolved within Docodonta. A posterior component in the occlusal trajectory is a functional convergence of Docodon on unrelated traversodontid cynodonts.

Relative tooth size at birth in primates: Life history correlates.

Dental eruption schedules have been closely linked to life history variables. Here we examine a sample of 50 perinatal primates (28 species) to determine whether life history traits correlate with relative tooth size at birth. Newborn primates were studied using serial histological sectioning. Volumes of deciduous premolars (dp2 -dp4 ), replacement teeth (if any), and permanent molars (M1-2/3 ) of the upper jaw were measured and residuals from cranial length were calculated with least squares regressions to obtain relative dental volumes (RDVs). Relative dental volumes of deciduous or permanent teeth have an unclear relationship with relative neonatal mass in all primates. Relative palatal length (RPL), used as a proxy for midfacial size, is significantly, positively correlated with larger deciduous and permanent postcanine teeth. However, when strepsirrhines alone are examined, larger RPL is correlated with smaller RDV of permanent teeth. In the full sample, RDVs of deciduous premolars are significantly negatively correlated with relative gestation length (RGL), but have no clear relationship with relative weaning age. RDVs of molars lack a clear relationship with RGL; later weaning is associated with larger molar RDV, although correlations are not significant. When strepsirrhines alone are analyzed, clearer trends are present: longer gestations or later weaning are associated with smaller deciduous and larger permanent postcanine teeth (only gestational length correlations are significant). Our results indicate a broad trend that primates with the shortest RGLs precociously develop deciduous teeth; in strepsirrhines, the opposite trend is seen for permanent molars. Anthropoids delay growth of permanent teeth, while strepsirrhines with short RGLs are growing replacement teeth concurrently. A comparison of neonatal volumes with existing information on extent of cusp mineralization indicates that growth of tooth germs and cusp mineralization may be selected for independently.

An ontogenetic perspective on symphyseal fusion, occlusion and mandibular loading in alpacas (Vicugna pacos)

A primary hypothesis for the evolution of mandibular symphyseal fusion in some mammals is that it functions to resist loads incurred during routine mastication. Anecdotal support for this hypothesis is based on the fact that when the symphysis fuses, it typically does so early during postnatal ontogeny prior to or around the time of weaning. However, little is known about the process of fusion, particularly relative to feeding behaviors and the dynamics of mastication, including occlusion and masticatory loading. In the present study, we investigate the timing and process of symphyseal fusion in alpacas (Vicugna pacos) in the context of maturation of the oral apparatus and oral behavior. We also report on in vivo strains from the symphysis and corpus in young alpacas prior to and following full fusion and M1 occlusion. Results show that fusion begins rostrally by 1 month and is complete by 6–7 months whereas all deciduous premolars and M1 come into occlusion by 6 months. Although symphyseal loading patterns are maintained throughout ontogeny, in young alpacas symphyseal strain magnitudes are low compared with adults but corpus strain magnitudes are comparable to those found in adults. Reduced symphyseal loading in young individuals is contrary to what might be predicted given that the symphysis is still fusing. When considered in light of the development of occlusion and rumination, strain magnitudes may be necessarily low and reflect an overall delay in the maturation of masticatory dynamics.

Large apeomyine rodents (Mammalia, Eomyidae) from the early Miocene of Echzell, Germany

The dental material described in this paper was collected from fossiliferous ash layers of the Vogelsberg volcanic complex at Echzell, Germany. It consists of 32 teeth of a new large Apeomys species, Apeomys oldrichi n. sp., and 19 teeth of Megapeomys lindsayi Fejfar, Rummel and Tomida. Both species are extremely rare faunal elements in the early Miocene of Europe. Apeomys oldrichi n. sp. is the largest known Apeomys species, and occurs in a number of MN 3 – 4 sites in southern Germany and Czech Republic. Megapeomys lindsayi, the largest Eurasian apeomyine, was described on the basis of a single lower premolar. Herein both lower and upper cheek teeth as well as the lower deciduous premolar are described for the first time. In comparison with related populations from other localities, the evolutionary stage of the two apeomyine species clearly indicates a middle Orleanian age (MN 4) for Echzell which concurs with previous studies.http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:1F9E49BE-C4B6-4597-A116-234E13D86BA9

Systematic Revision and Evolutionary History of Acarechimys Patterson in Kraglievich, 1965 (Rodentia, Caviomorpha, Octodontoidea)

The octodontoid rodent Acarechimys was abundant during the early Miocene and had the widest temporal and geographic distribution of any extinct caviomorph. Despite this extensive fossil record Acarechimys has not been well characterized. In this work, we systematically revise Acarechimys, describe new early—middle Miocene fossils from Argentina and Bolivia, corroborate its monophyly, and study its evolutionary history. Acarechimys has brachydont molars, retained deciduous premolars, four crests on upper molars, lowers with variably developed mesolophid and metalophulid II, and absence of mental foramen in the mandible. Acarechimys includes: Acarechimys leucotheae (late Oligocene, Chubut, Argentina), A. gracilis and A. constans (early Miocene, Chubut and Santa Cruz, Argentina), and A. minutus and A. minutissimus (early—middle Miocene of Patagonia Argentina, Bolivia, and Colombia). The temporal and geographic distributions suggest that Acarechimys could have evolved in Patagonia, by the early late Oligocene. Its acme was during the late early Miocene in Southern Patagonia. By the middle Miocene, Acarechimys decreased in diversity and was last recorded in high latitudes of South America (Patagonia). In lower latitudes, the oldest record is from the late early Miocene of Chucal, northern Chile, and during the late middle Miocene, the genus is recorded in localities of Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru. The available evidence suggests that Acarechimys was probably not present in lower latitudes (N of ~ 30° S) before the early Miocene. The reasons Acarechimys dispersed northward at this time remain to be elucidated, but the timing coincides with a massive disappearance of other octodontoids from Patagonia.

Agerinia marandati sp. nov., a new early Eocene primate from the Iberian Peninsula, sheds new light on the evolution of the genus Agerinia.

BackgroundThe Eocene was the warmest epoch of the Cenozoic and recorded the appearance of several orders of modern mammals, including the first occurrence of Euprimates. During the Eocene, Euprimates were mainly represented by two groups, adapiforms and omomyiforms, which reached great abundance and diversity in the Northern Hemisphere. Despite this relative abundance, the record of early Eocene primates from the European continent is still scarce and poorly known, preventing the observation of clear morphological trends in the evolution of the group and the establishment of phylogenetic relationships among different lineages. However, knowledge about the early Eocene primates from the Iberian Peninsula has been recently increased through the description of new material of the genus Agerinia from several fossil sites from Northeastern Spain.MethodsHere we present the first detailed study of the euprimate material from the locality of Masia de l’Hereuet (early Eocene, NE Spain). The described remains consist of one fragment of mandible and 15 isolated teeth. This work provides detailed descriptions, accurate measurements, high-resolution figures and thorough comparisons with other species of Agerinia as well with other Eurasian notharctids. Furthermore, the position of the different species of Agerinia has been tested with two phylogenetic analyses.ResultsThe new material from Masia de l’Hereuet shows several traits that were previously unknown for the genus Agerinia, such as the morphology of the upper and lower fourth deciduous premolars and the P2, and the unfused mandible. Moreover, this material clearly differs from the other described species of Agerinia, A. roselli and A. smithorum, thus allowing the erection of the new species Agerinia marandati. The phylogenetic analyses place the three species of Agerinia in a single clade, in which A. smithorum is the most primitive species of this genus.DiscussionThe morphology of the upper molars reinforces the distinction of Agerinia from other notharctids like Periconodon. The analysis of the three described species of the genus, A. smithorum, A. marandati and A. roselli, reveals a progressive change in several morphological traits such as the number of roots and the position of the P1 and P2, the molarization of the P4, the reduction of the paraconid on the lower molars and the displacement of the mental foramina. These gradual modifications allow for the interpretation that these three species, described from the early Eocene of the Iberian Peninsula, are part of a single evolutionary lineage. The stratigraphical position of Masia de l’Hereuet and Casa Retjo-1 (type locality of A. smithorum) and the phylogenetic analyses developed in this work support this hypothesis.

Deciduous premolars of Eocene Equidae and their phylogenetic significance

The deciduous premolars of early Eocene Equidae from North America, conventionally attributed to ‘Hyracotherium’, are described and compared, based primarily on a sample of >60 specimens from the early Eocene Willwood Formation of the Bighorn Basin, Wyoming. The sample represents six to nine species assigned to multiple genera by some other authors, but in the absence of diagnostic characters of the deciduous dentition, species assignments remain ambiguous for most specimens. Consequently it is not clear which generic names should be applied, and we employ the widespread name ‘Hyracotherium’ (acknowledging that the type species may not be an equid). We observed considerable variation in our sample, but most differences are minor and are largely inconsistent with respect to time or taxa, hindering attempts to characterise deciduous premolar anatomy of particular species. Comparisons were also made to Bridgerian Orohippus and Uintan Epihippus, to other early perissodactyls, and to non-perissodactyls that have been considered close to the origin of Perissodactyla (phenacodontid condylarths and Cambaytherium). Based on these comparisons, we confirm Butler’s observation that the deciduous premolars of equids show increasing molarization and lophodonty through the Eocene. However, our evidence suggests that there was little directed change through most of the Wasatchian until Wa-7.

A morphometric mapping analysis of lower fourth deciduous premolar in hominoids: Implications for phylogenetic relationship between Nakalipithecus and Ouranopithecus

Clarifying morphological variation among African and Eurasian hominoids during the Miocene is of particular importance for inferring the evolutionary history of humans and great apes. Among Miocene hominoids, Nakalipithecus and Ouranopithecus play an important role because of their similar dates on different continents. Here, we quantify the lower fourth deciduous premolar (dp4) inner morphology of extant and extinct hominoids using a method of morphometric mapping and examine the phylogenetic relationships between these two fossil taxa. Our data indicate that early Late Miocene apes represent a primitive state in general, whereas modern great apes and humans represent derived states. While Nakalipithecus and Ouranopithecus show similarity in dp4 morphology to a certain degree, the dp4 of Nakalipithecus retains primitive features and that of Ouranopithecus exhibits derived features. Phenotypic continuity among African ape fossils from Miocene to Plio-Pleistocene would support the African origin of African apes and humans (AAH). The results also suggest that Nakalipithecus could have belonged to a lineage from which the lineage of Ouranopithecus and the common ancestor of AAH subsequently derived.

Surgical Procedure for Extracting Pig Teeth for Isolation and Cultivation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Dental Pulp for Regenerative Therapy Applications

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are considered the most versatile cells for cell therapy—particularly for repair of injuries to the central nervous system. Recently, the use of dental pulp MSCs (DP-MSCs) for spinal cord regeneration has became especially important. We describe a surgical procedure for extracting pig teeth to obtain DP-MSCs using protocols for direct and enzymatic isolation of DP-MSCs followed by cultivation. Our study shows that primary pulp cultures of DP-MSCs are established 5 days after enzymatic digestion and 7–10 days following attachment of the digested minced tissue to the bottom of a plate. Though in the first few days the rate of primary expansion for cultures generated by direct isolation was lower than the rate of enzymatic digestion, this difference leveled off on days 14–18 of culture. For DP-MSCs isolation, we recommend the use of deciduous succedaneous lateral incisors and canine teeth of pigs as well as deciduous premolars from the first dentition of young pigs (up to 3 months).

A new spalacolestine mammal from the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota and implications for the morphology, phylogeny, and palaeobiology of Laurasian ‘symmetrodontans’

‘Symmetrodontans’ are extinct mammals characterized by having a reversed-triangle molar pattern in which three main cusps define a triangular molar crown. This dental morpholgy has been regarded as being intermediate between the ‘triconodont’ tooth and the tribosphenic pattern characterizing therians; it is a key feature in taxonomy of Mesozoic mammals and one to understand mammalian evolution and palaeobiology. Here we report a new genus and species of ‘symmetrodontan’ mammal, Lactodens sheni, from the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota, represented by a partial skeleton with dentary and upper and lower teeth with dental morphologies well-preserved. The new species has a dental formula of three upper incisors, one canine, three premolars, and six molars/three lower incisors, one canine, five premolars and six lower molars, double-rooted canines, extremely low-crowned and transversely thin premolars, and acute angled molars. The dental morphologies of molars and peculiar deciduous premolars are similar to those of Spalacolestes from North America. The associated upper and lower dentitions from one individual animal helped to clarify tooth identification of some spalacotheriids represented only by fragmentary material. Phylogenetic analyses indicate a close relationship of the new species to North American spalacolestines and faunal interchanges between Eurasia and North America, thus supporting the notion that small-bodied spalacotheriids were diverse and had a pan-Laurasian distribution during the Early Cretaceous. Absence of the Meckelian groove suggests acquisition of the definitive mammalian middle ear in spalacolestines, and deciduous canines and premolars in the slim and extremely long dentary imply a faunivorous diet.

Implantation of octacalcium phosphate collagen composites (OCP/Col) after extraction of canine deciduous teeth achieved undisturbed permanent tooth eruption

ObjectiveComposite of synthetic octacalcium phosphate and collagen (OCP/Col) enhances bone regeneration if implanted into human, canine, or rodent bone defects. This study was designed to investigate the influence on eruption of the permanent successor tooth and alveolar height of OCP/Col implantation into extraction cavities of deciduous teeth. DesignDisks of OCP/Col prepared from synthetic granules of octacalcium phosphate (OCP) and porcine atelocollagen, and commercially available sintered porous β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) was implanted into the prepared defect of eleven male beagle dogs by extraction of two deciduous premolars. Untreated group had nothing implanted into the prepared defect, and physiological group (Physiol group) was observed without any treatment. Periodical macroscopic and radiographic examinations were performed until the period equivalent to the physiological eruption of permanent successor teeth (P3 and P4). ResultsAlthough no unerupted permanent successor teeth were observed among the OCP/Col, Untreated, and Physiol groups, two permanent successor teeth were unerupted in the β-TCP group. No significant difference of the alveolar heights or the eruptive position in P3 and P4 was observed between OCP/Col and Physiol groups. ConclusionOCP/Col implantation in the alveolar region that included the unerupted permanent successor teeth would cause no disturbance of permanent tooth eruption and preserve the alveolar ridge.

Dental Defects as a Potential Indicator of Chronic Malnutrition in a Population of Fallow Deer (Dama dama) from Northwestern Germany

We studied enamel defects in mandibular cheek teeth of fallow deer from an enclosed population that had grown far beyond the carrying capacity of its habitat. Macroscopic inspection revealed a high frequency of pathological enamel alterations in the permanent premolars and the third molar, which form late during dental development, while earlier forming teeth (deciduous premolars and first molar) were generally not affected. Macroscopic enamel alterations comprised opacity and posteruptive discoloration, loss of occlusal enamel ridges, and presence of enamel surface lesions. Backscattered electron imaging in the SEM revealed a marked hypomineralization and related increased porosity of the outer compared to the central and inner enamel portions in the affected teeth. In contrast, the enamel of the unaffected first molars showed a homogeneous high degree of mineralization. Microindentation hardness testing demonstrated a significantly reduced and highly variable hardness of the outer enamel of the affected teeth. The recorded enamel alterations are indicative of a disturbance of enamel maturation. Based on findings of experimental studies by other authors that explored the effects of dietary deficiencies on the mineralization of dental hard tissues in different mammal species, we suggest a dietary calcium deficiency as the cause of the observed pathological enamel changes in the fallow deer. The supposed calcium deficiency only affected teeth whose crown mineralization takes place after weaning, while the deciduous premolars and the first molar, whose crown formation occurs prenatally or during the early postnatal period of intense milk feeding, were unaffected. Anat Rec, 299:1409-1423, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Deciduous dentition and eruption pattern in late Miocene Pachyrukhinae (Hegetotheriidae, Notoungulata) from La Pampa Province, Argentina

The study of juvenile remains of Paedotherium Burmeister from Cerro Azul Formation (La Pampa Province, Argentina; late Miocene) is presented. Upper and lower deciduous dentition (or permanent molars supposed to be associated with non-preserved deciduous teeth) are recognised. Several ontogenetic stages are distinguished among juveniles, according to the degree of wear and the replaced deciduous teeth. Besides, some morphological and metrical differences are observed along the crown height. Deciduous cheek teeth are high-crowned and placed covering the apex of the corresponding permanent tooth. The height of the crown and the degree of wear allow establishing the pattern of dental replacement of deciduous and permanent premolars in a posterior–anterior direction (DP/dp4–2 and P/p4–2), as well as the eruption of M/m3 before DP/dp4 is replaced. Some of the studied remains are recognised as young individuals of Tremacyllus Ameghino, but with complete permanent dentition, which leads to propose a different timing in the dental replacement with respect to Paedotherium; they also allow the establishment of an opposite premolar eruption pattern, from P/p2 to P/p4. This knowledge of the deciduous dentition of Paedotherium suggests the need of revising the morphological and metrical characters previously used for defining species within this taxon.