{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,23]],"date-time":"2026-06-23T20:19:05Z","timestamp":1782245945115,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":58,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2019,8,6]],"date-time":"2019-08-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1565049600000},"content-version":"am","delay-in-days":365,"URL":"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/termsAndConditions#am"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2018,8,6]],"date-time":"2018-08-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1533513600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/termsAndConditions#vor"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000001","name":"National Science Foundation","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["1747505"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["1747505"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000001","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Journal of Anatomy"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2018,11]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title><jats:p>Because the musculoskeletal anatomy of the trunk is the framework for the behaviors of locomotion, ventilation, and body support in lepidosaurs, comparative study of trunk anatomy in this group is critical for unraveling the selective pressures leading to extant diversity in axial form and function among vertebrates. This work uses gross dissection and computed tomography to describe the muscular and skeletal anatomy of the trunk of varanid lizards (<jats:italic>Varanidae<\/jats:italic>,<jats:italic>Anguimorpha<\/jats:italic>). Gross muscle dissections were conducted to investigate the axial muscular anatomy of<jats:italic>Varanus exanthematicus, Varanus giganteus, Varanus rosenbergi, and Varanus panoptes<\/jats:italic>. Computed tomography scans of these and additional varanid lizards from the<jats:italic>Varanus<\/jats:italic>and<jats:italic>Odatria<\/jats:italic>subgenera were conducted to investigate rib and vertebral number and gross morphology. The number of vertebrae differs between species, with 27\u201335 presacral and 47\u2013137 postsacral vertebrae. Although the number of floating and abdominal ribs in varanids is variable, most species examined have three to four cervical ribs and three true ribs. Attachment and insertion points of the epaxial and hypaxial musculature are detailed. The body wall has four main hypaxial layers, from superficial to deep:<jats:italic>oliquus externus, intercostalis externi, intercostalis internii, and transversus<\/jats:italic>. Varanids differ from other investigated lepidosaurs in having<jats:italic>supracostalis dorsus brevis<\/jats:italic>(epaxial) and<jats:italic>levator costae<\/jats:italic>(hypaxial)<jats:italic>,<\/jats:italic>which independently connect each rib to the vertebral column. Although more basic muscle descriptions of the body wall in reptiles are needed, comparisons with the condition in the green iguana (<jats:italic>Iguana iguana<\/jats:italic>) can be made.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1111\/joa.12872","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2018,8,7]],"date-time":"2018-08-07T09:01:38Z","timestamp":1533632498000},"page":"636-643","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":18,"title":["The axial anatomy of monitor lizards (<i>Varanidae<\/i>)"],"prefix":"10.1111","volume":"233","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6905-9148","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Robert L.","family":"Cieri","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology University of Utah Salt Lake City UT USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2018,8,6]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_8_2_1","volume-title":"A Comparative 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