ABSTRACT
According to current knowledge, only the prefrontal bone (os prefrontale) of the circumorbital series is preserved in the family Salamandridae. However, the exact origin and number of ossification centres creating this bone is unknown. Detailed examination of the prefrontal bone during ontogeny of juvenile and adult specimens of the Alpine Newt (Triturus alpestris) indicates its dual origin (prefrontal and lacrimal). We found that the prefrontal bone originates from four ossification centres, i.e. three prefrontal centres and one posterior lacrimal centre. The anterior lacrimal centre participates in the maxillar ossification. The development of these ossification centres occurs very late in ontogeny (at stage 54), and starts after differentiation of the nasal capsules. The total fusion of the lacrimal ossification centre with the prefrontal bone of T. alpestris is distinct from the fully differentiated lacrimal bone attached to the prefrontal bone of the fossil family Branchiosauridae (Temnospondyly). We propose that heterochrony, observed in the recent species, is a delayed development followed by accelerated ossification that resulted in the fusion of the anterior lacrimal centre with the maxilla and the posterior lacrimal centre with the prefrontal bone.
