Habitat impacts the diversification of adhesive discs and skull shape in clingfishes
Jonathan M. Huie, Adam P. Summers, Kayla C. Hall, Thomas Trnski, Severine E Hannam, Gary Voelker, Christopher M. Martinez, Kevin W. Conway
This study examines how habitat and substrate use influence the morphological evolution of adhesive discs and skull shape in clingfishes, finding that transitions to coral reefs increase evolutionary rates while shifts to softer substrates constrain disc shapes.
bioRxiv · Sep 14, 2026 · PreprintEvolutionary Biology