Abstract
Two mature female longnose gar (Lepisosteus osseus) exhibiting severe hyperkyphotic spinal deformities were captured during the 2010 spring spawn at Lake Arrowhead, Clay County, Texas. Yet, despite their deformities and impaired motility, both longnose gar were in overall good condition. Hyperkyphosis in both longnose gar resulted from fused trunk vertebrae in the affected areas. Results of morphological examinations and computerized tomography (CT) scans showed no evidence of injury-induced responses and suggested a congenital or possibly environmentally induced aetiology for disruption of the normal vertebral segmentation process.
Dos hembras adultas del pejelagarto narigudo (Lepisosteus osseus) con severas deformidades espinales hipercifóticas fueron capturadas durante la desovación primaveral del 2010 en Lake Arrowhead, condado de Clay, Texas. No obstante, a pesar de sus deformidades y limitada motilidad, ambos pejelagartos estaban en buenas condiciones generales. La hipercifosis en ambos pejelagartos narigudos resultó de la fusión de vértebras del tronco en las áreas afectadas. Las evaluaciones morfológicas y de tomografía computarizada (TC) no mostraron evidencia de respuestas inducidas por lesiones, y sugirieron una etiología congénita o posiblemente inducida por el ambiente para la interferencia del proceso normal de segmentación vertebral.
Recommended Citation
Kelley, Samuel W.
(2011)
"Hyperkyphosis in longnose gar (Lepisosteus osseus) of north central Texas,"
Western North American Naturalist: Vol. 71:
No.
1, Article 18.
Available at:
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/wnan/vol71/iss1/18