Functional Anatomy of the Primary Downstroke Muscles in the Pallid Bat, Antrozous pallidus

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Abstract
Electromyographical analysis of the shoulder musculature of Antrozous pallidus indicates the existence of two patterns of activity within the primary down-stroke musculature. The first pattern, exemplified by Mm. pectoralis profundus and serratus anterior, is an adductor pattern of muscle activity responsible for powering the downstroke. A second pattern indicative of a fine control role in locomotion is exemplified by M. subscapularis in which a nearly continuous distribution of muscle activity is recorded throughout the wingbeat cycle. These findings dictate a revision of existing hypotheses about the functional division of labor in the chiropteran down-stroke musculature with respect to the temporal involvement of the three muscles during flight.