A rhesus model for the study of the sutures at pterion (918.18)

The pterion is located at the infratemporal fossa of the skull. The sutural schemes at pterion are dominated by two patterns, the fronto-temporal type (FT) in which the frontal and temporal bones are in direct contact (Monkey type), and the spheno-parietal type (SP) in which the sphenoid bone and parietal bone are in direct contact (Human type). It is hypothesized that the sutural patterns at pterion covary with the relationship between cranial and facial skeletons. Previous investigation of suture patterns at petrion in the Rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) from Cayo Santiago, Caribbean Primate Research Center (CPRC), has indicated familial aggregation. Here we further identify a Rhesus family in Cayo Santiago with a nearly 25% incidence of Human type (SP) in their skulls from members of eight generations, housed in the CPRC Laboratory of Primate Morphology and Genetics. In addition, a member of eighth generation had premature fusion of the squamosal suture. The descendents of this matrilineal family, inc...