Comparison of nomenclature for neural arch fossae.

For convenience, the table has been organized anatomically into diapophyseal (D), parapophyseal (PA), prezygapophyseal (PR), and postzygapophyseal (PO) fossae. Within each of these categories, central fossae are listed before spinal fossae. In some cases, previous authors did not specify a name for a fossa that we name here (marked with a “—”); in other cases, authors use the same term for fossae that we give different names to. Hatcher (1901∶18) also mentioned “spinal cavities”, which are small, irregular pockets in the laminae of the neural spine. These are not landmark-bounded fossae and are not named here. Welles (1984) also mentioned a “lateral chonos”, but it is not clear to us how that fossa differs from the medial chonos, so we didn't include it in that table. The nomenclature of Bonaparte (1999) has been translated from the Spanish. The “angular cavity” of Bonaparte (1999) was not included here because it appears to name a fossa within divided lamina (cpol). Note that the distinction between the supraneural and circumneural cavities of Bonaparte (1999) is not clear.