Meeting Abstract
Frogfish (Family Antennariidae) are highly derived benthic, teleost fishes capable of performing three modes of locomotion: jetting, swimming, and substrate-based locomotion. Previous literature has described how frogfish use their limb-like pectoral fins in order to “walk” underwater and describe the crutching versus alternating fin-fall gaits. Frogfish plant their distal pectoral fin into the substrate in order to walk, but have their fins outstretched while jetting and tucked against the body wall while swimming. Frogfish have a unique ball-in-socket shoulder joint morphology and fourteen different pectoral fin muscles, which may allow them to seamlessly transition between these three modes. While the presence of this extreme limb rotation has been described, the mechanism behind it is less clear. In this study, the pectoral fin and pectoral girdle of the Sargassum frogfish, Histrio histrio, and the shaggy frogfish, Antennarius hispidus, are described using microCT scanning, PTA staining, and gross dissection. The functional implications of forelimb rotation in walking will be compared to locomotor kinematics of other fishes and tetrapods.
