Epidermal microstructures on the paired fins of marine sculpins suggest new functional hypotheses supporting benthic station-holding

Harsh environments, such as those with breaking waves and turbulent flows, present extreme challenges to organismal survival. Many animals exploiting these habitats possess adaptations to maintain position under dynamic flow conditions, such as reversible or permanent attachment systems. However, some station-holding fishes (e.g., sculpins) instead rely on morphological and behavioral modifications of their pectoral fins to increase friction with the substrate and combat drag. Despite epidermal microstructures on the fins of other benthic fishes, little exploration of pectoral fin surfaces at the microscopic scale has been undertaken in sculpins. Using scanning electron microscopy, we discovered microscopic, fibrillar projections contained within single cells on the ventral surfaces of the paired fin rays of two intertidal and two subtidal species of marine sculpins. In contrast to subtidal species, the intertidal species possessed epidermal cells with discrete channels separating groups of fibrillar projections. These features bear a striking resemblance to epidermal microstructures described in other fishes but have distinct morphological differences. We suggest the hypothesis that these previously overlooked features contribute to sculpin station-holding performance via enhanced mechanical interactions with the substrate, suggesting new taxa within which to explore potential mechanisms of underwater friction enhancement and adhesion.