Ganoine

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Fish scale covering

title: "Ganoine" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["fish-anatomy", "tissues-(biology)"] description: "Fish scale covering" topic_path: "science/biology" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganoine" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Fish scale covering ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/Spotted_Gar_(Lepisosteus_oculatus)_(3149758934).jpg" caption="The glassy appearance of the scales of this [[spotted gar]] is due to ganoine."] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/Mineral_texture_of_ganoine_layers_in_the_scales_of_an_alligator_gar..tif" caption="The mineral texture of alligator gar scales consists of bundles of cross-plied hydroxyapatite minerals oriented towards the scale's surface."] ::

Ganoine or ganoin is a glassy, often multi-layered mineralized tissue that covers the scales, cranial bones and fin rays in some non-teleost ray-finned fishes,{{Cite journal | last1 = Zylberberg | first1 = L. | last2 = Sire | first2 = J. -Y. | last3 = Nanci | first3 = A. | doi = 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0185(199709)249:13.0.CO;2-X | title = Immunodetection of amelogenin-like proteins in the ganoine of experimentally regenerating scales of Calamoichthys calabaricus, a primitive actinopterygian fish | journal = The Anatomical Record | volume = 249 | issue = 1 | pages = 86–95 | year = 1997 | pmid = 9294653 | doi-access = free

Ganoine is an ancient feature of ray-finned fishes, being found for example on the scales of stem group actinopteryigian Cheirolepis. While often considered a synapomorphic character of ray-finned fishes, ganoine or ganoine-like tissues are also found on the extinct acanthodii.

It has been suggested that ganoine is homologous to tooth enamel in vertebrates or even considered a type of enamel. Ganoine indeed contains amelogenin-like proteins and has a mineral content similar to that of tetrapod tooth enamel.

References

References

  1. (2009). "Origin and evolution of the integumentary skeleton in non-tetrapod vertebrates". Journal of Anatomy.
  2. (2008). "Materials design principles of ancient fish armour". Nature Materials.
  3. (1995). "A microstructural study of the ganoine tissue of selected lower vertebrates". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.
  4. Ørvig, T.. (1967). "Structural and Chemical Organization of Teeth". Academic Press.

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fish-anatomytissues-(biology)