Surface architecture of adhesive organ epidermis of Schizothorax richardsonii: adaptive modifications

Adhesive apparatus is the modifications of the skin of the ventral surface. Fast water current is the single most important limiting factor deciding the occurrence and survival of fauna and flora unless equipped with special adaptive features to with-stand the vicissitudes of nature. In hillstream fishes, the presence of adaptive modifications in their body organization is of prime importance for their progress against the fast water flow. Such adaptations are primarily manifested in the form of adhesive organ, integumentary specialization, usually situated on the ventral surface of the body between mouth and Pectoral fins and also on ventral fins.