Chaumel Júlia, Wainwright Dylan K, Webb Jacqueline F, White Connor F, Lauder George V
Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
Department of Biological Sciences, Lilly Hall of Life Sciences, 915 Mitch Daniels Boulevard, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2054, USA.
iScience. 2024 Dec 12;28(1):111578. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.111578. eCollection 2025 Jan 17.
Tunas are high-performance pelagic fishes of considerable economic importance and have a suite of biological adaptations for high-speed locomotion. In contrast to our understanding of tuna body and muscle function, mechanosensory systems of tuna are poorly understood. Here we present the discovery of a remarkable sensory lateral line canal within the bilateral tuna keels with tubules that extend to the upper and lower keel surfaces. Neuromast mechanoreceptor organs are found periodically along the canal lumen, enclosed within tubular ossifications surrounding the canal that we interpret as modified lateral line scales. In addition, a series of segmental, elongated skeletal elements of unknown homology support the posterior end of the keel. These observations suggest that the bilateral tuna keels act as flow sensing structures, perhaps providing information on tail beat frequency, amplitude, force, and water flow dynamics over the caudal region of the tuna body axis during locomotion.
金枪鱼是具有重要经济意义的高性能远洋鱼类，拥有一系列适应高速游动的生物学特征。与我们对金枪鱼身体和肌肉功能的了解相比，金枪鱼的机械感觉系统却鲜为人知。在此，我们报告在双边金枪鱼龙骨内发现了一个显著的感觉侧线管道，其小管延伸至龙骨的上表面和下表面。神经丘机械感受器器官沿管腔周期性分布，被包裹在围绕管道的管状骨化结构内，我们将其解释为经过修饰的侧线鳞片。此外，一系列同源性未知的节段性、细长骨骼元素支撑着龙骨的后端。这些观察结果表明，双边金枪鱼龙骨起到了流量传感结构的作用，可能在游动过程中提供有关金枪鱼身体轴尾鳍摆动频率、幅度、力量以及尾部区域水流动力学的信息。
