Dissection of the Skeletal System of Calotes versicolor

The skeleton system of the crested tree lizard (Calotes versicolor) was studied by the transparent double-staining method in this paper.It can be divided into the following parts:os axialia (including cranium,columma vertebralis,sternum,and os costae) and os appendicu (including pectoral girdle,pelvic girdle,pectoral appendage,pelvic appendage).It had a pear-like skull with complete orbits.The columna vertebralis was made up of eight vertebral cericalises,fifteen trunk vertebra,two vertebral sacrales,and more than thirty four vertebral coccygeaes.As for the costae,there were four pairs of costae cervicales,four pairs of costae thoracales,and eleven pairs of lumbalis.The skeletal system showed a series of evolutive characteristics,for example,it had one premaxillary and one frontal bone,the malaris disappeared,the squamosal became smaller,the vomer became thinner,the suturae between the dentary and splenial and the suturae between the coronoid and angular was blurry.