THE PNEUMATIZATION OF THE FACIAL SKELETON IN THE JAPANESE MACAQUE (MACACA-FUSCATA) - A STUDY BASED ON COMPUTERIZED 3-DIMENSIONAL RECONSTRUCTIONS

Computerized three-dimensional images derived from coronal CT scan ser ies of 10 adult skulls from Macaca fuscata of both sexes served to eva luate the paranasal sinuses. The maxillary sinus was found as the only paranasal sinus of the Japanese macaque. The hemispherical or kidney shaped maxillary sinus was almost restricted to the body of the maxill a. The maxillary sinus volume amounted to 0.88 cm(3), with a bigger si nus in male than in female skulls. A regression analysis between the s kull length and the maxillary sinus volume in the Japanese macaque and the same data of adult humans and great apes (Koppe and Schumacher, 1 990) was carried out. Whereas close relations between these measuremen ts were found in the hominoids, this relation was very weak in the Jap anese macaque, suggesting that the primate maxillary sinus can't be ex plained solely by structural role.