Meeting Abstract
Balitoridae, the hillstream loaches, is a family of cypriniform fishes living in high-flow streams and rivers of South and Southeast Asia. The family currently consists of 18 recognized genera including a monotypic blind cave genus, Cryptotora. In previous work we found that the cave loach, Cryptotora thamicola (previously Homaloptera), was able to walk out of water with a tetrapod walking gait as a result of having a robust pelvic morphology that is rigidly attached to the vertebral column, similar to tetrapods. We have since examined the pelvic morphology of 20 balitorid species and found that there are three general pelvic morphs that represent a spectrum of pelvic girdle robustness and attachment to the vertebral column. Further work will use kinematics and electromyography to compare the weight-bearing walking capabilities of these three different pelvic morphs. The expected outcome is that the more complete connection between the vertebral column and the pelvis, e.g. more similar to the morphology observed in C. thamicola, will allow for an increased ability to bear weight and thus increased capacity for walking.
