Reffling: A Novel Locomotor Behavior Used by Neotropical Armored Catfishes (Loricariide) in Terrestrial Environments

Noah R. Bressman, Callen H. Morrison, and Miriam A. Ashley-Ross

Ichthyology & Herpetology 109: 608–625

Figure S1. Pterygoplichthys disjunctivus on land. Author found this catfish on the ground at the TAL in Ruskin, Florida. The fish was deceased and partially desiccated, but upright. Because this fish was found on private property, it was unlikely that an angler caught and released this fish into the terrestrial environment. Therefore, this fish likely either emerged from a small pond approximately seven meters away, or it was transplanted to the terrestrial environment by an avian predator. Great blue herons (Ardea herodias) and other wading birds were frequently observed fishing at the edge of this pond. One such bird could have caught this fish, found it too difficult to swallow because of its spines and armor, disposing of it alive in the terrestrial environment. Regardless of the means of introduction to land, this fish must have reffled its final location, fatally desiccating before it could find a body of water.

Figure S2. Pelvic musculature of P. disjunctivus. The muscles associated with the pelvic fins (PF) overlaying the basipterygium (BPT) from the anterior process (AP) to lateropterygium (LPT) and the posterior process (PP) are dark red, indicating they likely are highly vascularized and contain a high density of red, slow-oxidative muscle fibers. These fibers are generally associated with muscles used for endurance.

Supplemental Table 1. Average values and standard errors (SE) of kinematics and performance parameters.

Supplemental gif

Movie S1. Dorsal view of terrestrial reffling by P. disjunctivus. These multiple subsequent sequences are from the same individual, filmed at 60 fps by a stationary GoPro Hero 5 camera. The video has been trimmed to remove the duration for which no locomotion occurred.

Movie S2. Dorsal view of terrestrial reffling by P. multiradiatus. These multiple subsequent sequences are from the same individual, filmed at 60 fps by a stationary GoPro Hero 5 camera. The video has been trimmed to remove the duration for which no locomotion occurred.

Movie S3. Dorsal view of terrestrial reffling by P. gibbiceps. These multiple subsequent sequences are from the same individual, filmed at 210 fps by a stationary Casio Exilim FH-20 camera. The video has been trimmed to remove the duration for which no locomotion occurred.

Movie S4. Dorsal view of terrestrial reffling by H. punctatus. These multiple subsequent sequences are from the same individual, filmed at 210 fps by a stationary Casio Exilim FH-20 camera. The video has been trimmed to remove the duration for which no locomotion occurred.

Movie S5. Ventral view of terrestrial reffling by H. punctatus on the FTIRT. This sequence was filmed at 240 fps by a stationary iPhone 7 camera. Points of contact with the substrate (the FTIRT) are illuminated. This sequence includes the same strides shown in Fig. 2.

Movie S6. Lateral view of terrestrial reffling by P. disjunctivus. These multiple subsequent sequences were filmed at 240 fps by a handheld iPhone 7 camera. The video has been trimmed to remove the duration for which no locomotion occurred.

All supplemental movies can be found in their entirety on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0gMJfh2pDmmfDHSmwrr3Zw