The cranial and locomotory musculature and associated skeletal system of the epaulette shark Hemiscyllium ocellatum (Bonnaterre, 1788): A morphological framework for understanding fin-based substrate locomotion
Pichler, R.-C.; Kriwet, J.; Mollen, F.H.; Staggl, M.A. (2026). The cranial and locomotory musculature and associated skeletal system of the epaulette shark Hemiscyllium ocellatum (Bonnaterre, 1788): A morphological framework for understanding fin-based substrate locomotion. Fishes 11(10): 592. https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/fishes11100592
In: Fishes. MDPI: Basel. ISSN 2410-3888; e-ISSN 2410-3888, more
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diceCT; dissection; Galeomorphii; Hemiscylliidae; micro-CT; Orectolobiformes |
| Authors | | Top |
- Pichler, R.-C.
- Kriwet, J.
- Mollen, F.H., more
- Staggl, M.A.
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| Abstract |
Orectolobiform sharks are predominantly benthic, and members of the genus Hemiscyllium are further distinguished by a unique walking locomotion driven by coordinated movements of the paired pectoral and pelvic fins. Although this locomotion has been described repeatedly in the epaulette shark, Hemiscyllium ocellatum (Bonnaterre, 1788), a morphological framework linking musculoskeletal structures to these movement patterns is still lacking. Here, we combine manual dissection with diffusible iodine-based contrast-enhanced computed tomography (diceCT) to describe the cranial and locomotory musculature and the associated skeletal system of H. ocellatum, with particular emphasis on the pectoral, pelvic and dorsal fin musculature and adjacent axial structures. Both the pectoral and pelvic fins possess a well-developed musculature with robust skeletal support, consistent with a weight-bearing role during substrate-based locomotion. Although not in contact with the substrate, the dorsal fins possess a likewise well-developed and clearly differentiated musculature, the musculi inclinatores dorsales, suggesting a functional specialisation beyond passive stabilisation. These findings expand current knowledge of locomotor adaptations in orectolobiform sharks and establish a morphological basis for future comparative and functional studies on fin-assisted locomotion in neoselachians. They may further provide insight into morphological adaptations analogous to the fin-to-limb transition in early tetrapods. |
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