Microanatomy of the mandibular symphysis in lizards: patterns in fiber orientation and Meckel's cartilage and their significance in cranial evolution.

Although the mandibular symphysis is a functionally and evolutionarily important feature of the vertebrate skull, little is known about the soft-tissue morphology of the joint in squamate reptiles. Lizards evolved a diversity of skull shapes and feeding behaviors, thus it is expected that the morphology of the symphysis will correspond with functional patterns. Here, we present new histological data illustrating the morphology of the joint in a number of taxa including iguanians, geckos, scincomorphs, lacertoids, and anguimorphs.