FINS OF FISH

Locomotory organs of fishes.

Fishes swim with their fins which are thin,
broad folds of integument internally
supported by fin rays which may be bony,
cartilaginous, fibrous or horny.
Fins of adult fish are always of two kinds :
(I) unpaired median fins and
(2) paired lateral fins.
• Two pairs of paired fins
(1) Pectoral anteriorly and
(2) Pelvic posteriorly.
• Pelvic fins are called thoracic when placed below
the pectoral fins and abdominal when situated just
in front of anus. In some cases they are absent.
• Three unpaired fins
(1) Caudal fin- around the tip of tail
(2) Dorsal fin- 1 or 2 dorsal fins along mid-dorsal
line and
(3) Anal or ventral fin- behind anus or vent
(cloaca)
• Dorsal fins may be in a series or reduced or
absent.
• Anal fin may be absent especially in bottom
dwellers.
 Uses of fins
• Fish swim mainly by lateral movements of tail
and tail fin.
• Other fins are principally used as steering
devices and rudders.
• When the body is at rest, the paired lateral
fins serve to maintain equilibrium.
• Fins are also modified to serve other
purposes. Lungfishes use them as legs in
walking.
• The flying fish use their large and extended
pectoral fins for gliding.
• Pelvic fins in some male, Chondrichthyes
become modified as claspers.
• In remoras, anterior dorsal fin forms an
adhesive disc or sucker on head.
• In some teleosts the anal fin forms on
intromittent organ or ovipositor.
 Types of caudal fin
• Caudal fin is well developed in most fishes
because it is an important contributor to
forward propulsion during swimming.
• The caudal fin in most of the fishes is highly
developed, with few exceptions like in
Hippocampus and some of the eels.
• In sea horse, the tail is prehensile.
• In bottom dwelling rays, it tends to be
reduced and in sting rays caudal fin is lacking.
• It has different shapes in different groups of
fishes correlated with their habits, so that it is
of great importance in classification of fishes.
• Three main, types of tails or caudal fins are
found in fishes : diphycercal, heterocercal and
homocercal.
1. Diphycercal
• Diphycercal (diphus, double) or protocercal
called (protos, first or primary).
• Most primitive kind of tail or caudal fin.
• Not exhibited by many living fish.
• The vertebral column extends straight back to
the tip of tail dividing the fin symmetrically
and equally into the dorsal or epichordal and
ventral or hypochordal lobes.
• Occurs in modern cyclostomes, primitive sharks,
Holocephali (Chimaera), living Dipnoi
(lung fishes), living Crossopterygii (Latimeria),
many larval teleosts and deep sea fishes.
• Latemeria and extinct coelacanths have unique
symmetrical 3-lobed tail with a marked median
lobe.
• In Chimaera and some deep sea fishes, the fin is
called isocercal (Gr., ios, equal) which is very
much elongated and symmetrical.
 2. Heterocercal
• (Gr., heteros, other, different)
• It is the intermediate type in which the vertebral
column bends upwards and reaches upto the tip
of the more prominent dorsal lobe, thus making
the caudal fin strongly asymmetrical.
• It is typical of modern elasmobranchs, extinct
osteolepid crossopterygians (Osteolepis), extinct
dipnoans (Dipterus), and living holosteans
(Acipenser, Polyodon).
• Characteristic of bottom feeders, with ventral
mouth and without swim bladder.
• The strokes of larger dorsal lobe in swimming
serve to direct fish towards bottom
• The opposite of heterocercal condition, in
which the vertebral column terminates into a
larger ventral lobe, is known as HYPOCERCAL
(Gr., hypos, under, beneath) type.
• It is peculiar to flying fish, some primitive
fishes and (fossil agnatha) ostracoderms.
• Larger ventral lobe enables the flying fish
(Cypselurus) to attain maximum speed for
gliding as it leaves the water.
 3. Homocercal
• (Gr., homos, common, alike)
• This is the advanced and most common type,
characteristic of the large majority of higher bony
fishes (teleosts).
• It is externally symmetrical but internally it is
asymmetrical.
• In this type the original dorsal lobe or epichordal is
suppressed.
• Only the originally ventral lobe or hypochordal is
greatly developed into a single or two equal and
symmetrical lobes.
• Vertebral column is short and its terminal
part, the urostyle, is slightly upturned into the
dorsal lobe (e.g. salmon).
• Homocercal caudal fin is characteristic of
fishes with a terminal mouth, and its strokes
force the fish straight forward.
• Has several variations.
• In cod and tuna, the upturned urostyle of
vertebral column is reduced or absent.
• In some deep sea fishes, the terminal part of
vertebral column is straight and greatly
elongated to form isocercal tail.
• In Fieraspis, vertebral column and fin itself
become reduced and vestigial forming a
gephyrocercal tail.
• In chondrosteans (Polypterus, Amia,
Lepidosteus), the urostyle is a bit elongated
and upturned, also with or without an
upturned fleshy lobe. This is called
abbreviated homocercal type.
• Most of these variations represent an
intermediate stage between heterocercal and
homocercai types.
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