Anatomy of the Petrosal and Middle Ear of the Brown Rat, Rattus Norvegicus (Berkenhout, 1769) (Rodentia, Muridae)
ANNALS OF CARNEGIE MUSEUM VOL. 86, NUMBER 1, PP. 1–35 31 MARCH 2020 ANATOMY OF THE PETROSAL AND MIDDLE EAR OF THE BROWN RAT, RATTUS NORVEGICUS (BERKENHOUT, 1769) (RODENTIA, MURIDAE) JOHN R. WIBLE Curator, Section of Mammals, Carnegie Museum of Natural History 5800 Baum Boulevard, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15206 SARAH L. SHELLEY Postdoctoral Fellow, Section of Mammals, Carnegie Museum of Natural History 5800 Baum Boulevard, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15206 ABSTRACT The anatomy of the petrosal and associated middle ear structures are described and illustrated for the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus (Berkenhout, 1769). Although the middle ear in this iconic mammal has been treated by prior authors, there has not been a comprehensive, well-illustrated contribution using current anatomical terminology. Descriptions are based on specimens from the osteological collections of the Section of Mammals, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, and a CT scanned osteological specimen from the Texas Memorial Museum. The petrosal, ectotympanic, malleus, incus, stapes, and inner ear were segmented from the CT scans. The petrosal of the brown rat is only loosely attached to the cranium, primarily along its posterior border; it is separated from the basisphe- noid, alisphenoid, and squamosal by a large piriform fenestra that transmits various neurovascular structures including the postglenoid vein. The extent of the piriform fenestra broadly exposes the tegmen tympani of the petrosal in lateral view. The floor of the middle ear is formed by the expanded ectotympanic bulla, which is tightly held to the petrosal with five points of contact. The surfaces of the petrosal affording contact with the ectotympanic bulla are the rostral tympanic process, the epitympanic wing, the tegmen tympani, two of the three parts of the caudal tympanic process, and the tympanohyal, with the ectotympanic fused to the last.
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