Identification Of Eggs And Larvae Of Marine Fishes

THE LARVAL LIFE AND HISTORY OF MARINE FISHES.

In Larvae of Temperate Australian Fishes the larval stages of 124 fish species from 57 families which occur in fresh water, estuarine and inshore marine waters of temperate Australia are described. Each family chapter includes a summary of the taxonomy and life history information for the family, a list of the main characters used to identify larvae to family level, a table of the meristic characters of the genera found in temperate Australian waters, and a list of families whose larvae may be confused with those of the family being described, and the characters which will distinguish them. For each species there is information on adult distribution, importance to fisheries, spawning, diagnostic characters of larvae, and larval morphology and pigmentation. With over 570 scientific illustrations of larval fishes throughout, and a concise and accurate text, this is an essential reference for anyone, conducting taxonomic, ecological and fisheries research.

The second volume in the Fauna Malesiana book series gives an extensive overview of the larval development of 124 families of fishes, many of them of importance for both fishery and from ecological perspectives. The families that are described originate from the center of global marine biodiversity: the tropical Indo-Pacific Oceans, a region rich in coral reefs, as well as mangrove, estuarine, and coastal shelf habitats. The identification guide not only documents the ontogeny of these fishes but also provides the means to identify these extraordinarily diverse larvae to the level of family. The book offers a wealth of instructive and detailed figures and illustrations (219 plates, each consisting of approximately 4 figures) for enabling the identification of these families and their larval specialization.

This guide presents the egg and larval descriptions of 150 species of fishes belonging to 57 families, which are most likely to be present in plankton samples collected in the continental shelf and oceanic waters off northwest Africa. The guide is structured in two parts. The first introductory part describes the different applications of ichthyoplankton studies in fisheries research and management, and fish population ecology, the main sampling strategies, methods and gears, and the problems related to sample representativeness. It also describes the early life history of fishes, and how to identify them. A brief description of the hydrography of the study area is also presented. The second part of the guide features the species identification sheets. Each species sheet includes the following information: an illustration of the adult fish and information on its distribution, habitat, spawning season, and meristic characters; a description of the main features useful towards identifying the egg, yolk-sac and larval stages; and illustrations and photos of different larval stages. Finally, the guide provides a comprehensive list of references.