Volume 40 December 2004

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Early development of the mammalian superficial masseter muscle in cynodonts
(Bernard Price Institute for Palaeontological Research, 2004-12) Abdala, Fernando; Damiani, Ross
The masseter muscle is a hallmark of the jaw-closing mechanism of modern mammals, acting in concert with other mandibular adductor muscles to fine-tune oral food processing. The model explaining the origin of this muscle within non-mammalian therapsids involves the differentiation of a masseter-like muscle from a primitive external adductor, a downward migration of the masseter insertion on the mandible, and a division and distribution of the muscle to a condition that is similar to that in living mammals. The presence of a suborbital process of the jugal, which is interpreted as the site of origin for the superficial masseter, has been previously regarded as the earliest putative morphological evidence used to infer masseteric division. The suborbital process is first recorded in late Early Triassic (c. 245 Ma) cynognathian cynodonts. Here it is shown that primitive galesaurid cynodonts of earliest Triassic age (c. 251 Ma) display a distinct angulation of the zygomatic arch below the orbit, indicating the presence of a divided masseter amongst more basal cynodonts. This alters the timing of masseter muscle evolution by showing that the downward migration and division of the masseter occurred simultaneously, prior to the evolution of advanced cynodonts (=eucynodonts).