= Natascha Westphal
{c}
<Natascha Westphal> coauthored a 2019 study of shoulder <muscles> in <amphisbaenians>, asking whether reductions of limbs and supporting bones are accompanied by equivalent losses of muscles. The researchers used iodine-enhanced <computed tomography> to visualize soft tissues in three dimensions and compare them with the skeleton.<Pectoral myology of limb-reduced worm lizards (Squamata, Amphisbaenia) suggests decoupling of the musculoskeletal system during the evolution of body elongation by Natascha Westphal and others>[Abstract and Methods, contrast-enhanced imaging]{ref}
All investigated amphisbaenian taxa retained the full set of seventeen shoulder muscles, although some muscles were fused or reorganized. <Bipes> retained forelimbs and a nearly complete shoulder girdle, while other sampled lineages showed greater skeletal reduction. In severely reduced forms, muscle attachments could shift to skin, connective tissue or other muscles. The result supports a decoupling of muscle and bone evolution: losing a skeletal element does not by itself establish that the associated musculature has vanished.<Pectoral myology of limb-reduced worm lizards (Squamata, Amphisbaenia) suggests decoupling of the musculoskeletal system during the evolution of body elongation by Natascha Westphal and others>[Results and Conclusions]{ref}
Back to article page
