Meeting Abstract
Skates are cartilaginous, dorsoventrally-flattened benthic fishes comprising more than 240 species. Several species have been observed to use the anterior lobe of their pelvic fins to locomote in a walking-like behavior. This anterior lobe is separated into three distinct sections, similar to a femur, tibia/fibula, and foot, and has been previously likened to a tetrapod limb. A specific muscle, here named the distal radial retractor (DRR), appears to serve as an antagonist muscle of the protractor to provide stability and extend the crura or “foot”. We believe this muscle to be an integral element for generating force during the walking behavior. A three-dimensional model obtained from a µCT scan of a little skate, Leucoraja erinacea, pelvic area was used in an animation software to interrogate this muscle. We created two models to look at presence/absence effect of the DRR. The first model included an active DRR while the second model did not. These models allowed for the definition and comparison of relative joint angles for both presence and absence of DRR activity during walking behaviors.
