Suction feeding biomechanics of Polypterus bichir: investigating linkage mechanisms and the contributions of cranial kinesis to oral cavity volume change

Many fishes use substantial cranial kinesis to rapidly increase buccal cavity volume, pulling prey into the mouth via suction feeding. Living polypterids are a key lineage for understanding the evolution and biomechanics of suction feeding due to their phylogenetic position and unique morphology. Polypterus bichir have fewer mobile cranial elements compared to teleosts (e.g., immobile [pre]maxillae) but successfully generate suction through dorsal, ventral, and lateral oral cavity expansion. However, the relative contributions of these motions to suction feeding success have not been quantified. Additionally, extensive body musculature and lack of opercular jaw opening linkages make P. bichir of interest for examining the role of cranial vs. axial muscles in driving mandibular depression. Here we analyze the kinematics of buccal expansion during suction feeding in P. bichir using X-Ray Reconstruction of Moving Morphology (XROMM) and quantify the contributions of skeletal elements to oral cavity volume expansion and prey capture. Mouth gape peaks early in the strike, followed by maximum cleithral and ceratohyal rotations, and finally by opercular and suspensorial abductions, maintaining the anterior-to-posterior movement of water. Using a new method of quantifying bones’ relative contributions to volume change (RCVC) we demonstrate that ceratohyal kinematics are the most significant drivers of oral cavity volume change. All measured cranial bone motions, except abduction of the suspensorium, are correlated with prey motion. Lastly, cleithral retraction is largely concurrent with ceratohyal retraction and jaw depression while the sternohyoideus maintains constant length, suggesting a central role of the axial muscles, cleithrum, and ceratohyal in ventral expansion.