Fins are the locomotory organs of fish that allow them to swim. There are two types of fins - paired lateral fins (pectoral and pelvic fins) and unpaired median fins (caudal, dorsal, and anal fins). The caudal fin, located at the rear of the fish, is particularly important for propulsion. There are three main types of caudal fins - diphycercal, heterocercal, and homocercal - which differ in how the vertebral column extends in relation to the fin lobes. The homocercal type, where the fin is externally symmetrical, is most common among advanced bony fish.
Fins are the locomotory organs of fish that allow them to swim. There are two types of fins - paired lateral fins (pectoral and pelvic fins) and unpaired median fins (caudal, dorsal, and anal fins). The caudal fin, located at the rear of the fish, is particularly important for propulsion. There are three main types of caudal fins - diphycercal, heterocercal, and homocercal - which differ in how the vertebral column extends in relation to the fin lobes. The homocercal type, where the fin is externally symmetrical, is most common among advanced bony fish.
Fins are the locomotory organs of fish that allow them to swim. There are two types of fins - paired lateral fins (pectoral and pelvic fins) and unpaired median fins (caudal, dorsal, and anal fins). The caudal fin, located at the rear of the fish, is particularly important for propulsion. There are three main types of caudal fins - diphycercal, heterocercal, and homocercal - which differ in how the vertebral column extends in relation to the fin lobes. The homocercal type, where the fin is externally symmetrical, is most common among advanced bony fish.
Fins are the locomotory organs of fish that allow them to swim. There are two types of fins - paired lateral fins (pectoral and pelvic fins) and unpaired median fins (caudal, dorsal, and anal fins). The caudal fin, located at the rear of the fish, is particularly important for propulsion. There are three main types of caudal fins - diphycercal, heterocercal, and homocercal - which differ in how the vertebral column extends in relation to the fin lobes. The homocercal type, where the fin is externally symmetrical, is most common among advanced bony fish.
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. THANK YOU