Evolution of Dermal Skeleton and Dentition in Vertebrates

Abstract

The starting point of comparative evolutionary studies of the dermal skeleton of vertebrates is Hertwig’s series of papers (1874, 1876/1879/1882), which directly stimulated many dozens of papers, most of them in German and some of them long forgotten. The literature on comparative histology and histogenesis of the dermal skeleton and on regulatory and morphogenetic processes of the vertebrate integument is so voluminous that it can hardly be summarized. Ever since Hertwig, attempts have been made not only to contribute descriptive and experimental data, but also to arrive at a synthesis. Most of the synthetic papers, however, address only a small section of the theoretical problems, and it seems that some important questions have never been asked.