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NEUROCRANIUM (Endo/chondrocranium, primary braincase)
1. Protects brain and special sense organs
2. Starts as cartilage
3. Replaced by bone (whole or part only) EXCEPT for cartilaginous
fish
4. Starts as several cartilage that unites as ONE.
5. PARACHORDAL STAGE develop underneath the brain. Cartilage
expand across the midline and unite
6. BASAL PLATE united notochord and PARACHORDAL STAGE
7. PRECHORDAL STAGE (trabeculae cranii) develop underneath
the brain. develop at the anterior of notochord and underneath the
forebrain.
8. ETHMOID PLATE expanded Prechordal cartilages across midline
@ anterioir ends
SENSE CAPSULES
1. Other cartilage formed in 2 locations namely;
a. Olfactory capsule perforated by foramina (transmit nerves
and vascular channels), partially surrounding olfactory
epithelium coz of access of air / water
b. Otic developing inner ear, surrounds the otocyst,
perforated by foramina (transmit nerves and vascular
channels)
c. Optic around retina, later becomes eyeball sclerotic coat,,
fibrous in mammals, may have cartilaginous/bony plates
(ancient trait), DOES NOT FUSE WITH THE SKULL
WALLS, FLOOR, ROOF
1. Ethmoid plate + olfactory capsules (anteriorly)
2. Basal Plate + otic capsules (lateral with the hindbrain direction)
3. Ethmoid + Basal = floor where brain rests
4. Hypophyseal fenestra the midline where the ethmoid and basal
cartilage plates meet,
a. accommodates hypophysis and internal carotid arteries (en
route to brain).
b. Reduced to foramina pair (transmitting arteries)
5. Cartilaginous walls in the brain is also formed
6. Tectum a cartilaginous roof w/ prominent fenestrae, also formed.
7. Presence of cranial nerves, blood vessels found
8. Deposited cartilage with formed foramina
9. Foramen magnum largest foramina @ rear wall of neurocranium
10. Remodeling of neurocranial cartilage takes place as brain develops
11. Mesenchyne
gives rise to neurocranium from neural crest ventrad to optic stalks >
developing eyeballs connection to brain
gives rise to parachordal cartilage, occiput <?> , from schlerotome
the rest of mesenchyme for neurocranial formation is sourced from
neural crest
CARTILAGINOUS NEUROCRANIA OF ADULT CRANIATES
1. Living Agnathans
a. Neurocranium components independent throughout life
b. Olfactory capsule, otic capsule, basal plate, notochord (not
fused with basal plate) present
c. Roof of brain is unchondrified and fibrous
2. Cartilaginous fish
a. Model : Squalus acanthias
b. High water mark in development, Forms a boxlike adult
cartilaginous braincase CHONDROCRANIUM
c. CHONDROCRANIUM no more visible components, fully
developed wall, posterior occipital wall for the first
time (gnasthosomes)
d. brain roof is fully cartilage, last part to chondrify is the
ROSTRUM (w.c may still be soft in younger specimens)
e. otic capsules completely fused with posterolateral walls of
braincase + olfactory capsules united anteriorly
f. visible notochord (seen as cephalad extending ridge) from
the base of foramen magnum (which has an occipital
condyle at each side)
g. Occipital condyle immovable articulation bet. Occipital
region of neurcranium and 1st vertebrae
h. hypophysis cradled in cartilaginous pocket
i. sella turcica-beneath the brain
j. projects forward as ROSTRUM beyond olfactory capsules
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k. Endolymphatic fossa depression at the posterodorsal aspect Anterior to sphenoid

of the neurocraniumm 2 pairs of foramina, houses the Ethmoid plate + nasal capsules
endolymphatic (opens at surface) and perilymphatic ducts Remains cartilaginous in tetrapods
3. BONY FISHES Ossification centers in amniotes:
a. Cartilaginous neurocranium throughout its Mesethmoid nasal septum of birds and mammals,
life(chondrosteans, gars, dipnoans) turbinal bones @ nasal passageways of reptiles and
b. Teleosts and tetrapods cartilage replaced by endochondrial birds, cribiform plate in mammals
bone as it develops
NEUROCRANIAL OSSIFICATION CENTERS Sphenethmoid anurans, sole bone arising from both
1. occurs more/less simultaneously at numerous ossification centers ethmoid and sphenoid bones
2. actual no. varies per species
a. Occipital Centers Ectethmoid nasal passageways of Sphenodon
Basioccipital bone 1 or more centers @
ventral to foramen magnum, underlying the Not derived from ethmoid ossification - winglike
hindbrain alar and small sesamoid cartilage (human nose)
2 Exoccipital lateral walls of foramen d. Otic Centers
magnum Replaced by the bones: prootic, opisthotic, epiotic
Supraoccipital above foramen,
May unite with other bones
1 Occipital bone fusion of 4 occipital
Periotic/perosal bone all 3 unite in birds and
elements (mammals), 1 or 2 remain cartilaginous in
mammals,
amphibians
Petrosal + Squamosal =Temporal bone
2 Occipital condyles articulates with the
st GENERALIZED DERMATOCRAUNIUM
1 vertebra, single in amphibians (basiooccipital),
1. Membrane bones of the skull
birds and reptiles
2. Fish have highly specialized structures
b. Sphenoid center
3. How It May Have Begun
o Basisphenoid bone ossifies under midbrain and pituitary
a. Earliest vertebrates (Ostracoderms were incased in
gland, anterior to basioccpita
dermal armor)
o Presphenoid Mammals. Anterior to basissphenoid, with
b. This armor goes through one or more cycles of
addl ossification at the walls
expansion and reduction
o Laterosphenoid bone (archosaurs) lateral ossification
c. Bony plates are found in the head- integral part of
o Orbitosphenoid (archosaurs) separate interorbital septum
the skull
o Alisphenoid in some mammals, but from palatoquadrate
d. Neurocranium is the endoskeleton
cartilage not neurocranium
e. Dermal bone exoskeleton dermatocranium
o Sphenoid elements may form (single sphenoid) or separate
(living fossils)
o Sella turcica pituitary gland rests
f. Modern vertebrates no longer ossify at the
o No replacement bones develop above the brain
skin(mesenchyme to dermis) rather from subdermal
c. Ethmoid centers
mesenchyme. Though the inductors may be the same.
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6. Modified primary palate may still be present

in all tetrapods
4. Basic Structure-
a. Read A Question in Homology (regards naming) Opercular Bones
b. Roofing Bones 1. Flap of tissue arises as an outgrowth of the
Early pattern in Rhipidistians inherited by hyoid arch and extends caudad over the gill
Labyrinthodonts.- protective shield to brain and slits.
special sense organs, no unpaired bones, paired 2. Membranous in holocephalans, absent in
nasals, frontal parietals, postparietals (disapperared elasmobranchs,
in modern amphibians) 3. Stiffened plates of dermal bone in bony
paired and unpaired scale bones extends fishes: Opercular, preopercular,
Parietal foramen housing median eye still found in subopercular, interopercular
fish amphi, lizards NEUROCRANIAL-DERMATOCRANIAL COMPLEX OF
Lacrimal from nasolacrimal duct (drain of excess BONY FISHES
fluid and tears
Lacrimal, pre and postfront, jugal ring around the
orbit
Posterior: Intertemporal, supratemporal, tabular,
squamosal, quadratojugal,
Labyrinthodonts longer snouts that rhipidistians
(food)
c. Dermal bones of the Upper Jaw
Embroynic origin: Palatoquadrate cartilage
Palatoquadrate cartilage > Overlaid with >
Premaxillae and maxilla (tooth bearing bones)
Primary Palatal Bones:
1. Roof of oropharyngeal cavity/ oral cavity of
tetrapods/ cartilaginous floor of
neurocranium in sharks
2. Bony vertebrates: membrane bones under
neurocranium and upper jaw cartilage
3. Rhipis. Fish and early tetrapods: unpaired
parasphenoid (beneath sphenoid), paired
vomers (ethmoid region), & paired
palatines, ectopterygoids and pterygoids
4. Internal nares pierced anterolaterally
5. May bear teeth in all extant basal vertebrates