Effect of Incubation Temperature on Tooth Eruption in Embryos of Crocodylus johnstoni

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Abstract
Patterns of tooth eruption and tooth development were investigated in embryos of Crocodylus johnstoni, incubated at seven constant temperatures from 28-34 C, to determine whether or not teeth could be used as characters for defining the latter stages of embryonic development. No particular tooth on either jaw erupted first at all temperatures. Embros incubated at temperatures of 30-32 C generally had 15 and 19 teeth in the lower and upper tooth rows, respectively, whereas embryos incubated at lower and higher temperatures tended to have greater numbers of teeth per tooth row. At high temperatures, this was associated with the insertion of extra teeth in the wide space between lower posiitons 8 and 9. The pattern of tooth development at hatching varied with incubation temperature. Consequently, neither the eruption of particular teeth nor the sequence of eruption and subsequent growth can be used as characters to delineate the latter stages of development in embryos of C. johnstoni.

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