Capsular process
In rodents, the capsular process or projection is a bony capsule that contains the root of the lower incisor. It is visible on the labial side of the mandible as a raising in the bone. There is marked variation within species in the development of this process.
Most oryzomyines have a well-developed capsular process, which is usually located behind the coronoid process, but many have a small one, and some lack the structure entirely. Phyllotines and akodontines are also variable in their development of a capsular process.
Literature cited
- Steppan, S.J. 1995. Revision of the tribe Phyllotini, with a phylogenetic hypothesis for the Sigmodontinae. Fieldiana Zoology 80:1–112.
- Weksler, M. 2006. . Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 296:1–149.