A SEMINAR TALK

ON
TYPE OF FIN AND
SCALE
NAME:-KORIPILLI SUNITA
R.N:- SO3517ZOO023
CONTENT

1. FISH FIN
2. TYPES OF FIN
3. SCALE
4. TYPES OF SCALE
5. MIGRATION IN FISH
6. TYPES OF MIGRATION
FISH FIN

 Fins are usually the most distinctive anatomical features of a fish

 They are composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body with skin covering
them and joining them together, either in a webbed fashion as seen in most bony fish or
similar to a flipper as seen in sharks
 Most fish use fins when swimming.Flying fish use pectoral fins for glinding,and frog fish
use them for crawling.
TYPES OF FIN

 PAIRED FIN :-
1.PECTORAL FIN
2. PELVIC FIN
 UNPAIRED FIN
1. DORSAL FIN
2. ANAL FIN
3. ADIPOSE FIN
4. CAUDAL FIN
 PECTORAL FIN

 Pectoral fins are located on each side ,usually just behind the
operculum and are homologous to the forelimbs of tetrapodes.
 A peculiar function of pectoral fins is the creation of the
dynamic lifting force that assist some fish ,such as shark in
Mantaining depth and also enables the flight for flying fish.
 In many fish the pectoral fins aid in walking especially in the
angler fish and in the mudskipper .
PELVIC FIN

 The paired pelvic or ventral fins are typically located ventrally below and behind the
pectoral fins and in some fish present infront of the pectoral fins(cod fish).
 These are homologous to hind limbs of tetrapodes .
 The pelvic fins assist the fish in going up or down throw the water,turning sharply and
stopping quickly.
 DORSAL FIN:-
Dorsal fins are located on the back. A fish can have up to three dorsal fins. The dorsal fins serve to
protect the fish against rolling, and assist it in sudden turns and stops.
 ANAL FIN:-
The anal/cloacal fin is located on the ventral surface behind the anus/cloaca. This fin is used to stabilize the fish
while swimming.
 ADIPOSE FIN:-
The adipose fin is a soft, fleshy fin found on the back behind the dorsal fin and just forward of the caudal fin.
Canadian researchers identified a neural network in the fin, indicating that it likely has a sensory function.
CAUDAL FIN

 The caudal fin is the tail fin (from the Latin caudameaning tail), located at the end of the caudal peduncle and is used for propulsion. See
body-caudal fin locomotion.(A) - Heterocercal means the vertebrae extend into the upper lobe of the tail, making it longer (as in sharks). It is the
opposite of hypocercal.
 Hypocercal, also known as reversed heterocercal, means that the vertebrae extend into the lower lobe of the tail, making it longer (as
in the Anaspida). It is the opposite of heterocercal. [9]
 (B) - Protocercal means the vertebrae extend to the tip of the tail and the tail is symmetrical but not expanded (as in amphioxus)
 (C) - Homocercal where the fin appears superficially symmetric but in fact the vertebrae extend for a very short distance into the upper lobe of the
fin
 (D) - Diphycercal means the vertebrae extend to the tip of the tail and the tail is symmetrical and expanded (as in the bichir, lungfish, lamprey and
coelacanth). Most Palaeozoic fishes had a diphycercal heterocercal tail. [10]
 Most modern fishes have a homocercal tail. These appear in a variety of shapes, and can appear:
 rounded
 truncated, ending in a more-or-less vertical edge (such as salmon)
 forked, ending in two prongs
 emarginate, ending with a slight inward curve.
 lunate or shaped like a crescent moon
Different types of caudal fin in fishes
 SCALE

 In many vertebrates, the exoskeletal covering of body is made of two types of scales- epidermal and
dermal. Epidermal scales are cornified derivatives of the Malpighian layer of epidermis. They are well
developed in terrestrial vertebrates such as reptiles, birds and mammals. Dermal scales are
mesenchymal in origin and especially developed in the fishes.
 They are small, thin, cornified, calcareous or bony plates which fit closely together or overlap.
 According to the mode of the their origin, there are two types of scales:
 (i) Those which are formed due to the secretory activity of both epidermis and dermis, as the placoid
scales of elasmobranchs and
 (ii) Non-placoid scales that are derived from the dermis only as the scales of teleosts.
 Structurally, the scales are classified as cosmoid,
ganoid or rhomboid, placoid, cycloid and ctenoid, the
last two are also called the bony ridge scales:
 1. Cosmoid Scales:
 The cosmoid scales are found in the extinct
Crossopterygii and Dipnoi. The external layer of scale is
thin and enamel-like and is called the vitrodentine. The
middle layer is made up of hard, non-cellular, dentine-
like material called the cosmine and contains a number of
branching tubules and chambers
 The inner layer is made up of vascularised bony
substance, isopedine. These scales grew by the addition of
new isopedine material from below, along the edges.
Cosmoid scales are not found in the living fishes. The
living Dipnoi possess thin cycloid scales and have lost the
cosmine layer.
2. Ganoid Scales:
These scales are characteristic of the primitive actinopterygians called the ganoid fishes, and are of
various forms and structure. These scales are heavy and have an outer layer of hard inorganic, enamel-
like material called ganoine.
The middle layer is cosmine containing numerous branching tubules. The innermost layer is thickest
and is made up of lamellar bone, isopedine
The ganoid scales are best developed in the chondrosteans (Polypterus, Acipenser) and holosteans
(Lepidosteus) so that these are often called ganoid fishes.
3. Placoid Scales:
These scales are characteristic of elasmobranch fishes (sharks) only. Each scale has a disc-like basal
plate embedded in the dermis and a spine projecting out through the epidermis. In structure, a placoid
scale resembles a tooth. The spine has an external covering of enamel-like, hard, transparent material
called vitrodentine.
This is followed by a layer of dentine enclosing a pulp cavity from which several branching dentine
tubules radiate in different directions. The centre of the basal plate is perforated by an aperture to
provide entrance to the blood vessels and nerves from the dermis. The placoid scales are closely set in
skin but do not overlap each other and giving a sand paper-like quality to the skin.
Placoid scale :
4. Cycloid Scales:
• The cycloid scales are thin, flexible, transluscent plates, rather circular in outline, thicker in the centre and
marked with several concentric lines of growth which can be used for determining the age of the fish.
• They are found in a large number of teleostean fishes having soft rayed fins, such as Labeo, Catla, Barbus,
Cirrhina, etc. The central part of the scale is called the focus and is the first part to develop. In many species,
oblique grooves or radii run from the focus towards the margin of the scale.
5. Ctenoid Scales:
• The ctenoid scales are also circular and can be distinguished from the cycloid scales by having a more or less
serrated free edge.
• Moreover, several spines are present on the surface of the posterior area of the scale. These scales are
characteristic of modem higher teleosteans such as perch, sunfish, etc.
• They are more firmly attached and their exposed free hind parts which are not overlapped, bear numerous
small comb-like teeth or spines. Intermediate types between cycloid and ctenoid scales are also found on
different parts of the body. Certain fishes, such as flounders, may bear both types, ctenoid scales dorsally and
cycloid scales ventrally.
Cycloid and Ctenoid scale :
USES OF SCALES

 Scales form a protective covering of exoskeleton on the body. The structure of scales is useful in
broad classification of the group. Thus, among the fishes, placoid scales are characteristic of
Chondrichthyes, ganoid scales are found in the primitive bony fishes, while the cycloid and
ctenoid scales are found in the higher teleosts. Sometimes, the scales are useful in separating
orders and families.
 Thus, siluroid fishes are scaleless and can be distinguished from cyprinoids. Scales form an
important source of information about fossil fishes and in classifying kitchen middens of extinct
men. Scales are useful in studying the food habits of piscivorous animals. In taxonomic work,
several species are identified by counting the scales along the lateral line and round the body.
 Cycloid and ctenoid scales are of considerable help in calculating the age of and growth rate of
fishes. Many species undergo seasonal growth which is apparent from the lines of growth on the
scale. In some species like Salmo, spawning marks can be seen on the scales, so that it is
possible to find how many times a fish has spawned.
THANK YOU