PROTOTHERIA

Introduction :Class mammalia is divided into 2 Subclasses : Prototheria

and Theria. Metatheria and Eutheria are both combined
in the subclass theria.
Defination :The prototheria is the subclass of class mammalia and
includes egg-laying mammals. It includes a single order,
Monotremata.
Distribution :Restricted wholly to the Australian region including
Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea and Sundry neighboring
islands.
Brief Classification :Prototheria includes only one living order Monotremata,
which includes only two families :
Family 1. Tachyglossidae :
Terrestrials, limbs strongly clawed for burrowing.
Body covered above with short barbless, spines and
coarse hairs.
Tail vestigial and pinna district.
Teeth absent.
Examples : Spiny ant-eaters, Tachyglossus and zaglossus.

Family 2. Ornithorhynchidae :
Semi - aquatic, burrowing.
Limbs clawed as well as webbed for swimming.
Body covered by soft fur.
Tail well-developed and paddle - like.
Pinna vestigial and rudimentary teeth in embryo.
Examples : Duck - bill or Platypus, ornithorhynchus.
Habits and Habitat :Platypus is highly modified for aquatic life and spiny anteaters are terrestrial.
Both are burrowing in habitat, and make nests for rearing
their youngs.

Both are insectivorous, nocturnal, air - breathing,

incompletely warm-blooded, quadrupedal, oviparous
or egg - laying mammals.
Morphology :External Features :Body small and covered by hairs and spines.
Snout produced into a beak.
External ear absent or inconspicuous.
Tail present or absent.

Male carries a hollow, horny tarsal spur on each hind

leg, connected to a crural poison gland.

A temporary mammary pouch, equivalent to teats,

develop during breeding season on abdomen of
female.
Exoskeleton :Includes epidermal horny hairs, spines beaks and claws.
Skin glandular.

Body Cavity :It divided by a typical mammalian diaphragm into an

anterior thoracic and a posterior abdominal cavities.
Endoskeleton :Skull dicondylic.
Skull sutures become obliterated.
Tympanic. ring-like and ear ossicles three.
Vertebral epiphyses indistinct or absent.
Cervical Vertebrae 1 and without zygapophyses.
Ribs unicephalous, with only capitulum.
Coracoids well - developed.

Platypus

ANATOMICAL PECULIARITIES :1.Digestive System :

Teeth develop only in embyos, replaced by horny
beak in adults. (platypus)
In spiny ant-eaters teeth are absent in all stages of
development.
Rectum opens into a cloaca.
2.Respiratory system :
Respiration is pulmonary by lungs.
3.Circulatory system : Heart is 4-chambered.
Right auriculoventriscular valve incomplete and
fleshy.
Right valve tricuspid, not bicuspid as in other
mammals.
Chordae tendineae absent.
Single left aortic arch persists.
Vertral abdominal vein present.
R.B.C. small, circular and non-nucleated.
Body temperature variable (250C - 280C).
4.Excretory System :
Kidneys are metanephric.

 The urine flows through a short urinary canal into

the large urinogenital sinus.
Ureters open into a urinogenital sinus which
terminates into common cloaca.
5.Nervous System :
Brain relatively small, simple and without corpus
callosum.
Optic lobes four (Corpora Quadrigemina).
Cachlea Slightly bent and with a Lagena.
6.Receptors.
Olfactory system of platypus is reduced.
Eyes and ears are closed under water.
In spiny ant-eaters vision is good.
In the enterbal ears of monotremes cochlea is
partly coiled and contains an organ of corti.
Mode of Reproduction & Development :Reproductive System :
In male, testes are abdominal and penis retractile
passing out sperms but not urine.
In female, right ovary reduced and oviducts lead
separately into cloaca.
There are no uterus and vagina.

Development :
Female is oviparous.

 Ova are large with much yolk and surrounded by

labuminuos coat and a shell.
CLeavage is meroblastic and no uterine gestation.
Platypus lays two eggs at a time and placed in the
nest in the burrow.
Newly hatched young very immature, fed on milk in
abdominal pouch till fully developed.

* FEMALE PLATYPUS
A. Incubating her two eggs.
B.
Newly hathced young lapping up milk on the
belly of mother.

Affinities :With Reptilia :

Presence of cloaca.
Thoracic ribs are single headed.

Body temperature not constant,

Cochlea of internal ear with lagina.
Ureters lead into a urinogenital sinus.
Testes are abdominal.
Penis is a simple retractile conducting only sperms.
Females are oviparous and no uterine gestation.
Eggs Large, much yolk and cleavage is merobalstic.
Newly hatched young with a caruncle and an eggtooth.
With Aves :
Shape of beak of platypus resembles with birds.
Teeth are absent.
Feet are webbed.
Presence of obliterated sutures of skull.
Tarsal region bear spur.
Oil gland is present.

With Mammals :
Body covered with hairs and pinnae absent
Skin is glandular, containing sweat and sebaceous
glands.
Typical mammalian diaphragm divided body cavity.
Skull is dicondylic.

 Heart is 4-chambered.
R.B.C. small, circular and non-nucleated.
Optics lobes are four.
Presence of milk glands secreting milk.
Middle ear cavity has 3 ear ossicles.
Cervical vertebrae typically seven.
Specific Prototherian Characters : Presence of tarsal spurs in males.
Milk glands derived from sweat glands and without
nipples.
Temporary abdominal mammary pouch in female
during breeding season.
Teeth replaced in adults by horny plates.
Jaws elongated forming beak.
Ear ossicles Large showing transition.
Epipubic bones present.
Imperfectly warm blooded with body temperature
varying from 250C to 280C.
Right ovary smaller and usually functionless.

Evolutionary Tree :Coenozoic

Placentals

Monotremes

Marsupials

Cretaceous
Panthotherian

Conclusion :Among mammals, the position of monotremes is very

controversial. They possess primitive, specialized and
degenerative features.