HOMOLOGIES OF THE PROOTIC CANAL IN MAMMALS AND NONMAMMALIAN CYNODONTS

The term prootic canal has been used to describe vascular canals in th e adult petrosal bones of extant monotremes and marsupials and presume d vascular canals in the petrosals of extinct ''non-tribosphenic'' mam mals (i.e., morganucodontids, docodontids, triconodontids, multituberc ulates, Vincelestes). Study of the ontogeny of these canals in extant mammals and of their morphology in extinct mammals reveals that the te rm prootic canal has actually been applied to four different arrangeme nts of canals. The prootic canal variously encloses the prootic sinus (most extinct ''nontribosphenic'' mammals), the prootic sinus in compa ny with the ramus superior of the stapedial artery (the platypus Ornit horhynchus and most multituberculates), the prootic sinus and the late ral head vein (the echidna Tachyglossus), and the lateral head vein al one (didelphid, caenolestid, and some dasyurid marsupials). We propose restricting the term prootic canal to the canal enclosing the prootic sinus (middle cerebral vein) at its exit from the cranial cavity. As so defined, the prootic canal is a canal that: (1) in extinct ''non-tr ibosphenic'' mammals passes through the lateral trough of the petrosal ; (2) in the platypus forms between the petrosal and lamina obturans a nd also transmits a meningeal branch of the ramus superior; (3) in the echidna forms within the petrosal bone; and (4) in marsupials forms b etween the petrosal and squamosal. Several presumed vascular canals in non-mammalian cynodonts have been proposed as precursors of the canal enclosing the prootic sinus in mammals. We review the vascular struct ures of the ear region and lateral braincase in non-mammalian cynodont s and conclude that the most likely precursor is a canal through the l ateral flange of the prootic similar to those interpreted as enclosing the prootic sinus in Probainognathus jenseni and Massetognathus pascu ali. However, until a prootic canal is found in other non-mammalian cy nodonts, those in Probainognathus and Massetagnathus are most reasonab ly viewed, given current phylogenies, as acquisitions independent of t he prootic canal in mammals.