Odontode

Odontodes, or dermal teeth, are hard structures found on the external surfaces of animals or near internal openings. They consist of a soft pulp surrounded by dentine and covered by a mineralized substance such as enamel, a structure similar to that of teeth.[1] They generally do not have the same function as teeth, and are not replaced the same way teeth are in most fish.[2] In some animals (notably catfish), the presence or size of odontodes can be used in determining the sex.[3]

"Odontodes" redirects here. For the genus of moth, see Odontodes (moth).

Odontodes typically cover the body of chondrichthyans (cartilaginous fishes), while mineralized dermal scales are characteristic of bony fishes. During the evolution to bony fishes, ancestral odontodes have been modified to become dermal scales, including elasmoid scales in teleosteans.[4]

Etymology

The name comes from the Greek "odous, gen. odontos" meaning tooth.

Images

Aquino et al. (2001) show scanning electron microscope images of odontodes on a catfish.[5]

See also

References
  1. "Paleos Vertebrates: Glossary". Archived from the original on 2006-06-22. Retrieved 2006-05-21.
  2. "Evolution of development of the vertebrate dermal and oral skeletons: Unraveling concepts, regulatory theories, and homologies". Paleobiology. 2002.
  3. "Sexual Dimorphism of the "Zebra Pleco" Hypancistrus zebra". Archived from the original on 2006-05-16. Retrieved 2006-05-22.
  4. Dhouailly, Danielle; Godefroit, Pascal; Martin, Thomas; Nonchev, Stefan; Caraguel, Flavien; Oftedal, Olav (April 2019). "Getting to the root of scales, feather and hair: As deep as odontodes?". Experimental Dermatology. 28 (4): 503–508. doi:10.1111/exd.13391. ISSN 0906-6705. PMID 28603898. S2CID 38481860.
  5. Aquino, Adriana E.; Schaefer, Scott A.; Miquelarena, Amalia M. (June 2001). "A New Species of Hisonotus (Siluriformes, Loricariidae) of the Upper Río Uruguay Basin". American Museum Novitates (3333): 1–12. doi:10.1206/0003-0082(2001)333<0001:ANSOHS>2.0.CO;2. ISSN 0003-0082. S2CID 7469285.


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