Acrodonty (from Greek ''akros'' 'highest' + ''dont'' 'tooth') is an anatomical placement of the teeth at the summit of the

alveolar ridge The alveolar process () or alveolar bone is the thickened ridge of bone that contains the tooth sockets on the jaw bones (in humans, the maxilla and the mandible). The structures are covered by gums as part of the oral cavity. The synonymous ter ...

of the jaw, without sockets, characteristic of

bony fish Osteichthyes (), popularly referred to as the bony fish, is a diverse superclass of fish that have skeletons primarily composed of bone tissue. They can be contrasted with the Chondrichthyes, which have skeletons primarily composed of cartilag ...

. Functionally, acrodont tooth implantation may be related to strong bite force. Tuatara jaw

Acrodonty in the Animal Kingdom

Squamata: Within squamate reptiles, acrodont tooth implantation is best known in Acrodonta and some species of

amphisbaenia Amphisbaenia (called amphisbaenians or worm lizards) is a group of usually legless squamates, comprising over 200 extant species. Amphisbaenians are characterized by their long bodies, the reduction or loss of the limbs, and rudimentary eyes. As ...

ns, though some snakes are also referred to as being acrodont. Acrodonta is unique in that the name of the clade is based upon this trait. Most other squamate reptiles have

pleurodont Pleurodont is a form of tooth implantation common in reptiles of the order Squamata, as well as in at least one temnospondyl. The labial (cheek) side of pleurodont teeth are fused (ankylosed) to the inner surface of the jaw bones which host them. T ...

dentition, though some snakes are occasionally described as having acrodont dentition. Rhynchocephalia: Acrodont tooth implantation is common within

Rhynchocephalia Rhynchocephalia (; ) is an order of lizard-like reptiles that includes only one living species, the tuatara (''Sphenodon punctatus'') of New Zealand. Despite its current lack of diversity, during the Mesozoic rhynchocephalians were a diverse g ...

, including ''

Sphenodon Tuatara (''Sphenodon punctatus'') are reptiles endemic to New Zealand. Despite their close resemblance to lizards, they are part of a distinct lineage, the order Rhynchocephalia. The name ''tuatara'' is derived from the Māori language a ...

''. Amphibia: Acrodont tooth implantation also present in some

frogs A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-frog" ''Triadobatrachus'' is ...

and the

temnospondyl Temnospondyli (from Greek language, Greek τέμνειν, ''temnein'' 'to cut' and σπόνδυλος, ''spondylos'' 'vertebra') is a diverse order (biology), order of small to giant tetrapods—often considered Labyrinthodontia, primitive amphi ...

Microposaurus ''Microposaurus'' (meaning "small eyed lizard"; from Greek , "small" + , "face" or "eye" + , "lizard") is an extinct genus of trematosaurid temnospondyl. Fossils are known from the Cynognathus Assemblage Zone of the Beaufort Group (part of the K ...

''.Damiani, Ross (2004). "Cranial anatomy and relationships of Microposaurus casei, a temnospondyl from the Middle Triassic of South Africa". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 24 (3): 533–41. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2004)024 533:caarom.0.co;2.

References

External links

Tooth Implantation

Oral Cavity of Reptiles - Anatomy and Physiology
Dentition types {{lizard-stub