Morphology and wear of teeth
Individuals of Gastropteron rubrum possessed per row one
prominent inner lateral tooth, followed by five outer laterals to each
side of the radula (see Figures 1A and 2A–F). The size of these outer
laterals decreased towards the margin of the radula. A central tooth was
missing and the prominent inner laterals were separated by a groove.
Each inner lateral contained about 10 small denticles on the medial side
and a bulge on the lateral side. Each outer lateral possessed one large
cusp (tip).
Using SEM, we investigated signs of wear for each tooth type. On the
inner laterals, spalling (Figures 1D, 1E and G) and scratches (Figure
1C) on the cusps and the denticles were found (see Figure 1A–E); in
some cases, structural loss was rather high on these regions (Figure
1G). In contrast, we did not find scratches or spalling on the outer
laterals (Fig. 1F); the degree of wear decreased in the outer laterals
lying towards the margin of the radula.