Characteristics of Class Sarcopterygii

1. Skeleton with bone of endochondral origin; caudal fin diphycercal

in living representatives, heterocercal in ancestral forms; skin with
embedded dermal scales (Figure 24.21) with a layer of dentinelike
material, cosmine, in ancestral forms
2. Paired and median fi ns present; paired fi ns with a single basal
skeletal element and short dermal rays; muscles that move paired fi ns
located on appendage
3. Jaws present; teeth are covered with true enamel and typically are
crushing plates restricted to palate; olfactory sacs paired, may or may
not open into mouth; intestine with spiral valve
4. Gills supported by bony arches and covered with an operculum
5. Swim bladder vascularized and used for respiration and buoyancy (fat-
fi lled in coelacanths)
6. Circulation consisting of heart with a sinus venosus, two atria, a partly
divided ventricle, and a conus arteriosus; double circulation with
pulmonary and systemic circuits; characteristically fi ve aortic arches
7. Nervous system with a cerebrum, a cerebellum, and optic lobes; 10
pairs of cranial nerves; three pairs of semicircular canals
8. Sexes separate; fertilization external or internal

Because the density of the gases is much less than that of the body
tissues, slight changes in pressure will have a pronounced effect on a
fish’s buoyancy. Pressure on the body of a fish increases significantly after
a descent of only a fraction of a meter. The pressure compresses the
swim bladder, making the fish denser and less buoyant, thereby
increasing the rate of its descent. To counteract this descent, the fish must
expend energy either by secreting more gas into its swim bladder or by
actively swimming. Thus, gas must be secreted into the swim bladder
against a pressure gradient; the deeper the fish swims, the greater the
gradient.

Besides their role in regulating buoyancy, swim bladders are modified to

perform other functions in some fishes. In minnows, carp, catfish, and
other members of the order Cypriniformes, the swim bladder is involved in
the sense of hearing (Fig. 5.26b). A chain of small bones known as
Weberian ossicles joins together the anterior end of the swim bladder
and a Y-shaped lymph sinus known as the sinus impar (Fig. 5.26b). The
connecting bones are modified portions of the first four vertebrae. The
sinus impar lies adjacent to a lymph-filled canal that joins the sacculi of the
right and left ears. Movements in the water cause vibrations of the gas
within the swim bladder. These vibrations are transmitted by the Weberian
ossicles to the inner ear. Some squirrelfishes (Holocentridae), the tarpon
(Elopidae), featherbacks (Notopteridae), deepsea cods (Moridae), and sea
breams (Sparidae) have forked, forward extensions of the swim bladder
that end near the ear and serve to amplify sound waves (Moyle and Cech,
1996) (Fig. 5.26a).

Herrings (Clupeidae) and elephantfishes (Mormyridae) have similar

extensions that enter the auditory capsule and are in contact with the inner
ear. Their function also is to amplify sound. Many fishes make rasping,
squeaking, grunting, or squealing noises. In some, such as croakers and
grunts, the sounds are the result of muscles attached to the swim bladder.
These contractions may cause the swim bladder to emit thumping sounds,
or they may cause air to be forced back and forth between the chambers
within the swim bladder.