Interspecific differences and ecological correlations between scale number and skin structure in freshwater fishes

Abstract Fish skin is mainly composed of the epidermis, dermis, and its derivative scales. There is a wide diversity in scale number in fishes, but the diversity of skin structure lacks systematic histological comparison. This research aimed to improve our understanding of the functional relationship between the scale number and the skin structure in freshwater fishes and to determine which ecological factors affect the scale number and skin structure. First, we presented a method to quantify skin structure in fish and histologically quantified the skin structure of 54 freshwater fishes. Second, we collected the scale number and habitat information of 509 Cyprinidae fishes in China and explored which ecological factors were related to their scale number. Third, common carp and scaleless carp were used as models to study the effects of scale loss on swimming. We found a strong negative correlation between scale thickness and scale number. The main factor affecting the skin structure of fishes was the species’ water column position, and the skin of benthic fishes was the most well-developed (thicker skin layers (dermis, epidermis) or more/larger goblet cells and club cells). The scale number was related to two factors, namely, temperature and water column position, and cold, benthic and pelagic adaptation may have contributed to increased scale numbers. Only in benthic fishes, the more well-developed their skin, the more scales. In common carp, scale loss did not affect its swimming performance. In summary, we suggest that there is a rich diversity of skin structure in freshwater fishes, and the scales of fish with well-developed skin tend to degenerate (greater number/smaller size/thinner, or even disappear), but the skin of fish with degenerated scales is not necessarily well developed.