Dr. Matthew Mason: Further Information...
University Physiologist Tel: +44 (0)1223 333829, Fax: +44 (0)1223 333840, E-mail: mjm68@cam.ac.uk
Farr, M.R.B. & Mason, M.J. (2008) Middle ear morphology in dormice (Rodentia: Gliridae). Mammalian Biology 73: 330-334.
In this short study, we examine and describe the middle ear apparatus of two species of dormice, Glis glis and Muscardinus avellanarius, comparing these with the ear structures of rats and squirrels. We provide the first photomicrographs of the ossicular apparatus of these dormice, confirm the presence of a stapedius muscle in the species examined, and describe the passage of the chorda tympani nerve through the base of the manubrium. We conclude that ossicular characteristics link dormice with sciuromorphs rather than myomorphs.
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