The use of the visible implant elastomer (VIE) tagging system in zebrafish (Danio rerio) was examined. Two tag orientations (horizontal and vertical) at the dorsal fin base were tested for tag retention, tag fragmentation and whether VIE tags affected growth and survival of juvenile zebrafish (1-4 month post hatch). Six tag locations (abdomen, anal fin base, caudal peduncle, dorsal fin base, pe...

Didogobius helenae is described from the Canary Islands. It has a sensory papillae pattern that is consistent with the current diagnosis for Didogobius, but lacks all head canals and pores that are present in other members of the genus. Pores, in general, are replaced by large papillae.  The species is defined by first dorsal fin VI; second dorsal fin I,10; anal fin I,9; pectoral fin 16-17; pel...

A new species belonging to the pinguipedid genus Parapercis is described herein from a single specimen collected via remotely operated vehicle (ROV) rariphotic depths in Western Province of Solomon Islands. rota, species, readily distinguished all other congeners by unique pigmentation pattern comprising four large, rounded, orangish-olive saddles dorsally on flank, each with distinct, dorsomed...

Planaria possess a population of pluripotent adult stem cells called neoblasts, capable of differentiating into all cell types required to regenerate entire animals from almost any fragment. The regeneration of different fragments is catalogued in a body of classical experiments by many eminent scientists. Here, we endeavour to explore these classical observations and insights and combine them ...

The musculoskeletal mechanism of pectoral fin propulsion was investigated in representatives of the two subfamilies of the Embiotocidae (surfperches). Kinematic and electromyographic records of steady swimming by the open-water cruiser Amphistichus rhodoterus and the benthic maneuverer Embiotoca lateralis were compared at 80 % of the species' respective pectoral­caudal gait transition speed...

Lebiasina ardilai is described from the upper Mazaruni in Guyana. The new species differs from all its congeners by its color pattern consisting of: a narrow, nearly straight primary stripe, extending from posterior to humeral blotch to near the vertical through anal-fin origin, being absent or inconspicuous in females and conspicuously marked in males; the presence of four series of dark blotc...

Mudskippers use pectoral fins for their primary mode of locomotion on land and pectoral fins in conjunction with the axial musculature and caudal fin to move in water. We hypothesized that distinct pectoral fin movements enable effective locomotion in each environment. Additionally, we made three functional predictions about fin movements during locomotion on land versus water: the pectoral fin...

BACKGROUND The ocean sunfish (Mola mola), which can grow up to a length of 2.7 m and weigh 2.3 tons, is the world's largest bony fish. It has an extremely fast growth rate and its endoskeleton is mainly composed of cartilage. Another unique feature of the sunfish is its lack of a caudal fin, which is replaced by a broad and stiff lobe that results in the characteristic truncated appearance of t...

In the last decades, Danio rerio became one of the most used model organisms in various evo-devo studies devoted to the fin skeletal anatomy and fin-limb transition. Surprisingly, there is not even a single paper about the detailed anatomy of the adult muscles of the five fin types of this species. To facilitate more integrative developmental, functional, genetic, and evolutionary studies of th...