A look in to the neurocranium of living and extinct lepidosauria

Abstract

Braincase descriptions of lepidosaurian clades (Rhynchocephalia and Squamata) are scarce, and paleoneurological studies are even scarcer when compared to other reptiles. Regarding paleoneurology sensu stricto, so far mosasauroids and snakes (the latter by means of a single published study) remain the better known lepidosaur groups. Further comparisons among extinct and living lepidosaurs - along with their evolutive history starting in the early Triassic- are not possible due to the lack of neuroanatomical information in most families. Here we provide a revision of the published literature on endocranial anatomy and paleoneurology in Lepidosauria, including an overview of the comparative braincase and neuroanatomy of living representatives of the clade. We hope that this information will have an impact on future studies in the field of comparative neuroanatomy in both living and extinct species. Micro-CT and diceCT data are currently facilitating neuroanatomical comparisons among living species, preparing the background for a potential rise of paleoneurological studies of non-marine extinct lepidosaurs.