Afghanistan
Fishes of Afghanistan, an annotated check-list (Publications in zoology)
by Brian W Coad. 1981
National Museums of Canada, Publications in Zooloyg, No., 14, 26 pp., maps, soft bound
Fish faunas of this part of the world - Afghanistan and regional areas - are not extremely well known. This check-lists gives us a starting point for futher work - inventory, ecology, management, conservation, and such. A discussion of the hydrology and history of exploration of the region is followed by the check-list. Some 84 species are listed as known, which another 18 that occur in contiguous or confluent drainages outside Afghanistan, but might be expected with the country. Probably lots of interesting ichthyology in this remote country, still much to learn. Two drainage maps help orient the reader.
Australia
Guide to fishes - 2nd Edition
by E. M. Grant. 1972Brisbane, Queensland: Dept. of Harbours and Marine, 1972. xxiv + 472 p., illus. (part col.), 2nd ed, cloth covered boards
Guide to fishes - 4th Edition
1978. 768 p., illus. (part col.), 4th ed, cloth covered boards in dust jacket.
Guide to fishes - 5th Edition
1982. 896 p., ill. (some col.) 5th ed, cloth covered boards in dust jacket.
Although not explicitly stated in the title, this Guide is for the fishes of
Queensland – northeastern Australia, including the Great Barrier Reef. Covered are several hundred species, most get two facing pages of coverage - a photograph (usually color) on one page, and another illustration and the text opposite. The species account includes descriptive information useful for field identification, and general comments on each fish’s biology, range, misc. anecdotes and interest to anglers. This is a book in which some thought to design and quality was given. It’s solid and nicely put together and printed on heavy paper. Color illustrations are the rule here.Other editions are from 1965 and 1975; I don’t have copies of those to compare. My copy of the 2nd edition does not have a dust jacket; I assume it was issued with one.
The 5th edition (1982) is about 100 pages longer than the 4th, but generally quite similar in format and content. In his introduction the author notes that starting with the 5th he is using the classification of Nelson(1976), rather than the antiquated (but classic) one of Berg (1940). The large number of editions certainly attests to the usefulness of this book, and the interest of the population.
Grant’s Fishes of Australia
by E. M Grant. 1987
E.M. Grant Pty Ltd. 1987, Edition: 1st, Hardcover, 480 pages, illus. in color and black and white, cloth covered boards in dust jacket
ISBN 0-7316-0234-X
This is a large volume covering the marine and freshwater fishes of Australia. Nearly 1000 species are included, most illustrated with color photographs of living or freshly collected specimens (also several pages of black and white drawings, drawn from various earlier sources). There are no keys or map, but many, many color photographs and species accounts detailing the basics of the fishes covered. Aimed at the angler and general reader – rather than the manager or scientist – this book has a lot of fishing context, which seems to me is not unusual for ichthyology books from Australia. It comes with a red ribbon bookmark bound in – a nice touch. Freshwater fishes of south-eastern Australia (New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania)
edited by R. M. McDowall. 1980.
Terrey Hills, N.S.W.: Reed, 1980. 208 p. : ill. (some col.), map ; 26 cm. Hardcover in dust jacket.
IBSN 0-589-50082-1
Australia has an interesting ichthyofauna...many of the freshwater fishes are derived from what are generally marine fish families. Its fun to look at them and try to find equivalent niches in, for example, North American and see what family is in that niche. This book covers south-eastern Australia; about 30 families of native an non-native fishes are included. Front matter covers the basics of the region and fish identification. There’s illustrated key to families, and additional keys scattered through the book. The species accounts include description, color and distribution, plus a headed labeled “Utility.” Utility to whom, I always wonder. There are black and white drawings of each species, drawn from various sources and rendered by R.M. McDowall (an artist AND ichthyologist). T here is also a gallery of color images – mostly of living fishes, which I like. A drawing or mug-shot type photograph can give you the necessary details of a fish’s appearance. A nice color photograph of a living specimens presents the animal as a natural history object, not just a specimen.
Australian Fishes: A sportsman's guide to our most popular fish with more than 100 full colour paintings
Text by Jack Pollard; paintings by Walter Stackpool
Jack Pollard Pub. Pty, 200 pp, illus. in color, hardcover in dust jacket
ISBN 909950-87-3
This is a picture book directed at anglers and armchair naturalists. About 100 species are covered – listed by alphabetical order of their common name. Nearly all are marine. Each species gets a color painting - these nice, but somewhat flat and stylized – and a page of text. The text is pretty basic: description, habitat and method of capture. Basically a book for an angler’s coffee table or study. I’ve seen dealers ask fairly high prices for it. Perhaps it has a reputation in Australia.
Fish and Fisheries of Australia
by T. C. Roughley. 1955 (revised edition)
Sydney, Angus and Robertson,, xv + 328 pp., illus. in color and black and white, maps. Cloth covered boards in dust jacket.
Part 1 of this book is devoted to fish diversity – but largely those of sport or commercial importance. The painting on the dust jacket should give that away. The species accounts are filled with details on catches, utility and angling. Many are illustrated with color plates, largely those by George Coates. Ichthyological content (in terms of classification, evolution or ecology) is not emphasized. Most of the fishes covered are marine, but some freshwater fishes, such as the Australian lungfish (Neoceratodus fosteri), and introduced species are included. The second half of the book is devoted to fisheries and angling. Lots of discussion here of methods and processing and management. Included is some coverage of Aboriginal fishery exploitation.
Theodore Cleveland Roughley (1888–1961).
China
The Fresh-water Fishes of China
by John Treadwell Nichols. 1943
New York, American Museum of Natural History, xxxvi + 322 pp. illus. in black and white with color plates. Cloth covered boards, no dust jacket issued.
A series of natural history surveys of central China sponsored by the American Museum of Natural History provide the foundation for this work. A comprehensive guide to the freshwater fauna (exclusive of
Mongolia, Manchuria, brackish and marine fishes) of the region was the goal of the this author. Several hundred species are covered (a great many with Nichols as describing authority). There are 143 text figures and 10 plates of color paintings - so as can be deduced most the fauna was not illustrated here-in. There are however, keys and species accounts that are generally pretty brief (diagnostic features, range and geographic variation if warranted). The front matter discusses the geography and zoogeography of the region. The Second World War (which for China began in the early 1930s) interupted the production and completion of this book. Nichols notes in his preface that the manuscript was closed in 1935, but production was delayed. Some updating was conducted in 1938, but although the book was finally published in 1943, this 1938 should be considered its effected date.
Scarcity note: The volume usually commands a high price from natural history book sellers - in part owing to the color plates. My copy, however, was a gift. Many of my books come with stories – here is this one’s. Apparently, by the 1980s, undistributed stocks of this book (and I imagine other publications) were still held by the American Museum of Natural History. The story (as it was related to me) was that the fire marshal considered the storage room of back-stock publications to be a fire hazard and ordered the staff to clear it. They cleared it, at least in part, by giving way copies of works such as this to visitors to the ichthyology department. My copy was handed to me by one of the curators, still wrapped in brown paper from the printer.
I seem to remember seeing this work bound in stiff wrappers with the same cover design as on the hard cover edition.
John Treadwell Nichols (1883 - 1958).
Hong Kong
Hong Kong Freshwater Fishes
by Shek-hay Man and I. J. Hodgekiss. 1981
Hong Kong: Urban Council, 76 pp., illus. in color. Soft bound.
About 60 native and non-native species are included in this little fauna. It is fairly basic and standard in presentation. Brief introductory chapters open the book, and include a plea to conserve native fishes in their native habitats. The species accounts include the basics of identification, biology and taxonomy. Each is illustrated with a color photograph of a living or freshly caught specimen. Oddly, the species accounts are presented in alphabetical order by genus. An identification key is provided.
India
The freshwater fishes of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma, and Sri Lanka: A Handbook
by K. C. Jayaram. 1981
Calcutta: The Survey, 1981. xxii + 475 pp., illus., 14 leaves of plates (some colored); 24 cm. Red cloth boards in dust jacket.
This book covers a large fauna – some 742 species, 233 genera and 64 families — an ambitious task. Some non-natives (e.g., Gambusia) are also included. By comparison, the fish fauna of the US and Canada (for which there is no single volume) is somewhere around 500-550 species and for Mexico (Miller, Minckley and Norris, 2005) just over 500. Really what we have here is an large, illustrated set of keys. Each family and genus is diagnosed, and the species are keyed and listed, but most species are not discussed in any detail. Most of the specific information is given at the genus and family level. There are 208 text figures, drawn from a variety of sources and many included to illustration particular key characters. There are no maps. There are also 14 leaves of plates, a few of which are presented in color. A useful overview of the fauna, and I would imagine a heavily used resource by ichthyologists and fishery workers on the India subcontinent. Clearly, however, India is large enough, and the fauna diverse enough, that a series of regional guides are going to be the way to get a true handle on the diversity – at least in any level of diversity.
The fishes of the Herre 1931 Philippine Expedition with descriptions of 17 new species
by Albert W. C. T. Herre. 1934
Newton K. Gregg, reprint of 1934 original. Reprinted in 1972. 106 p., not illus. Green cloth covered boards, no dust jacket.
ISBN 0-912318-02-3
Albert Herre was the US Commissioner of Fisheries for the Philippine Island in the 1920s. In this position, he was able to do a lot of ichthyological exploration, which is reflected in his publication record. The work here in question lists over 1000 species that he identified from his collections. Both freshwater and marine species are included. The collection sites and methods are discussed in an introduction, but most of the work is the list, with little beyond number of specimens, collection site(s), lengths, occasionally color or other notes. The types of the species he described (and presumably the others) can be found in the collection of the California Academy of Sciences – they were originally housed at Stanford University. The original version of this work was published in Hong Kong in an edition of 120 copies (so states the copyright page); I’ve never seen an original copy. Dr. George S. Myers allowed his copy to reprinted in 1972. With a small print run of the original, a reprint was probably appreciated by ichthyologists working with western Pacific fishes. I don’t know how Myers distributed the reprinted copies, and I don’t know the size of the reprint run — around 2000 I encountered a seller on ebay who had dozens of publisher fresh copies (I bought a case). The only illustration in the reprinted volume is on the rear end sheet – it is a pair of 10 cent Hong Kong stamps - possibly those used to mail the original to Myers in the 1930s.
This photograph here shows the types of Gobiosoma pallida Herre 1934, one of the fishes described in this report (SU 28609).
Japan
Keys to the Japanese fishes Fully Illustrated in Colors. 9th edition
by Tokiharu Abe. 1980
Hokuryukan, Tokyo, Japan (ninth revised edition), 358 p., illus. Cloth covered boards in slip case
The content here is pretty much covered in the title. An illustrated key to Japanese fishes (freshwater and marine) opens the volume. Species accounts (3 to a page) are short and telegraphic, each is illustrated with a color painting of the species (these are nicely rendered), with what I am guessing (it’s all in Japanese) is basic identification, distribution and life history information added. 780 species are included. The book is all in Japanese, except for giving the title in English on the title page. As with many Japanese books, it comes with a slip case; my copy does not have a dust jacket.
Record of the Fishes Obtained in Japan in 1911
by David Starr Jordan and William Francis Thompson. 1914
Memoirs of the Carnegie Museum, Vol. VI(4): 205-313, 87 text figs., pls. 24 - 42. Wrappers
Dr. Jordan spent part of 1911 in Japan and Korea at a Peace conference. With the assistance of local naturalists, he was able to amass a large collection of freshwater and marine fishes. Back in the USA, he worked through these collections with the assistance of W. F. Thompson (1888-1965), the result being this monograph. They recognized just under 400 species in their collections, with about 30 representing new species, with several new genera. The presentation is pretty standard with taxa are listed in taxonomic order. Minimally, just the location is mentioned; taxonomic comments or detailed descriptions are added as necessary. A few identification keys are provided. There are no maps. The text figures are largely drawn from pre-existing sources (such as those available from the Smithsonian or U.S. Fish Commission). Illustrations on the plates were made for this publication (by William Sackerson Atkinson and Anna Brown Nash).
Korea
A catalog of the fishes known from the waters of Korea
by David Starr Jordan and Charles William Metz. 1913
Memoirs of the Carnegie Museum, Vol. VI(1): 1-64, 67 text figures, pls. 1-10
This is the companion piece to Record of the Fishes Obtained in Japan in 1911. Jordan spent time in Korea and Japan in 1911 and with the help of local naturalists gathered fish specimens (freshwater and marine) which were divided between the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and Jordan’s home institution, Stanford University. Ten new species are described, otherwise the species accounts are pretty brief - sometimes just a locality. The text figures are drawn from Smithsonian or U.S. Fish Commission files and the illustrations on the plates were crafted for this publication.
New Zealand
The fishes of New Zealand - Volume I
by W. J. Phillipps. 1940
New Plymouth, N.Z. : Thomas Avery & Sons, 1940, 87 pp., illus. Softcover
Australian Fishes: A sportsman's guide to our most popular fish with more than 100 full colour paintings
Text by Jack Pollard; paintings by Walter Stackpool
Jack Pollard Pub. Pty, 200 pp, illus. in color, hardcover in dust jacketISBN 909950-87-3
This is a picture book directed at anglers and armchair naturalists. About 100 species are covered – listed by alphabetical order of their common name. Nearly all are marine. Each species gets a color painting - these nice, but somewhat flat and stylized – and a page of text. The text is pretty basic: description, habitat and method of capture. Basically a book for an angler’s coffee table or study. I’ve seen dealers ask fairly high prices for it. Perhaps it has a reputation in Australia.
Fish and Fisheries of Australia
by T. C. Roughley. 1955 (revised edition)
Sydney, Angus and Robertson,, xv + 328 pp., illus. in color and black and white, maps. Cloth covered boards in dust jacket.
Part 1 of this book is devoted to fish diversity – but largely those of sport or commercial importance. The painting on the dust jacket should give that away. The species accounts are filled with details on catches, utility and angling. Many are illustrated with color plates, largely those by George Coates. Ichthyological content (in terms of classification, evolution or ecology) is not emphasized. Most of the fishes covered are marine, but some freshwater fishes, such as the Australian lungfish (Neoceratodus fosteri), and introduced species are included. The second half of the book is devoted to fisheries and angling. Lots of discussion here of methods and processing and management. Included is some coverage of Aboriginal fishery exploitation. Theodore Cleveland Roughley (1888–1961).
China
The Fresh-water Fishes of China
by John Treadwell Nichols. 1943
New York, American Museum of Natural History, xxxvi + 322 pp. illus. in black and white with color plates. Cloth covered boards, no dust jacket issued.
A series of natural history surveys of central China sponsored by the American Museum of Natural History provide the foundation for this work. A comprehensive guide to the freshwater fauna (exclusive of
Mongolia, Manchuria, brackish and marine fishes) of the region was the goal of the this author. Several hundred species are covered (a great many with Nichols as describing authority). There are 143 text figures and 10 plates of color paintings - so as can be deduced most the fauna was not illustrated here-in. There are however, keys and species accounts that are generally pretty brief (diagnostic features, range and geographic variation if warranted). The front matter discusses the geography and zoogeography of the region. The Second World War (which for China began in the early 1930s) interupted the production and completion of this book. Nichols notes in his preface that the manuscript was closed in 1935, but production was delayed. Some updating was conducted in 1938, but although the book was finally published in 1943, this 1938 should be considered its effected date.Scarcity note: The volume usually commands a high price from natural history book sellers - in part owing to the color plates. My copy, however, was a gift. Many of my books come with stories – here is this one’s. Apparently, by the 1980s, undistributed stocks of this book (and I imagine other publications) were still held by the American Museum of Natural History. The story (as it was related to me) was that the fire marshal considered the storage room of back-stock publications to be a fire hazard and ordered the staff to clear it. They cleared it, at least in part, by giving way copies of works such as this to visitors to the ichthyology department. My copy was handed to me by one of the curators, still wrapped in brown paper from the printer.
I seem to remember seeing this work bound in stiff wrappers with the same cover design as on the hard cover edition.
John Treadwell Nichols (1883 - 1958).
Hong Kong
Hong Kong Freshwater Fishes
by Shek-hay Man and I. J. Hodgekiss. 1981
Hong Kong: Urban Council, 76 pp., illus. in color. Soft bound.About 60 native and non-native species are included in this little fauna. It is fairly basic and standard in presentation. Brief introductory chapters open the book, and include a plea to conserve native fishes in their native habitats. The species accounts include the basics of identification, biology and taxonomy. Each is illustrated with a color photograph of a living or freshly caught specimen. Oddly, the species accounts are presented in alphabetical order by genus. An identification key is provided.
India
The freshwater fishes of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma, and Sri Lanka: A Handbook
by K. C. Jayaram. 1981
Calcutta: The Survey, 1981. xxii + 475 pp., illus., 14 leaves of plates (some colored); 24 cm. Red cloth boards in dust jacket.
This book covers a large fauna – some 742 species, 233 genera and 64 families — an ambitious task. Some non-natives (e.g., Gambusia) are also included. By comparison, the fish fauna of the US and Canada (for which there is no single volume) is somewhere around 500-550 species and for Mexico (Miller, Minckley and Norris, 2005) just over 500. Really what we have here is an large, illustrated set of keys. Each family and genus is diagnosed, and the species are keyed and listed, but most species are not discussed in any detail. Most of the specific information is given at the genus and family level. There are 208 text figures, drawn from a variety of sources and many included to illustration particular key characters. There are no maps. There are also 14 leaves of plates, a few of which are presented in color. A useful overview of the fauna, and I would imagine a heavily used resource by ichthyologists and fishery workers on the India subcontinent. Clearly, however, India is large enough, and the fauna diverse enough, that a series of regional guides are going to be the way to get a true handle on the diversity – at least in any level of diversity.The fishes of the Herre 1931 Philippine Expedition with descriptions of 17 new species
by Albert W. C. T. Herre. 1934
Newton K. Gregg, reprint of 1934 original. Reprinted in 1972. 106 p., not illus. Green cloth covered boards, no dust jacket.
ISBN 0-912318-02-3
Albert Herre was the US Commissioner of Fisheries for the Philippine Island in the 1920s. In this position, he was able to do a lot of ichthyological exploration, which is reflected in his publication record. The work here in question lists over 1000 species that he identified from his collections. Both freshwater and marine species are included. The collection sites and methods are discussed in an introduction, but most of the work is the list, with little beyond number of specimens, collection site(s), lengths, occasionally color or other notes. The types of the species he described (and presumably the others) can be found in the collection of the California Academy of Sciences – they were originally housed at Stanford University. The original version of this work was published in Hong Kong in an edition of 120 copies (so states the copyright page); I’ve never seen an original copy. Dr. George S. Myers allowed his copy to reprinted in 1972. With a small print run of the original, a reprint was probably appreciated by ichthyologists working with western Pacific fishes. I don’t know how Myers distributed the reprinted copies, and I don’t know the size of the reprint run — around 2000 I encountered a seller on ebay who had dozens of publisher fresh copies (I bought a case). The only illustration in the reprinted volume is on the rear end sheet – it is a pair of 10 cent Hong Kong stamps - possibly those used to mail the original to Myers in the 1930s.Japan
Keys to the Japanese fishes Fully Illustrated in Colors. 9th edition
by Tokiharu Abe. 1980
Hokuryukan, Tokyo, Japan (ninth revised edition), 358 p., illus. Cloth covered boards in slip case
The content here is pretty much covered in the title. An illustrated key to Japanese fishes (freshwater and marine) opens the volume. Species accounts (3 to a page) are short and telegraphic, each is illustrated with a color painting of the species (these are nicely rendered), with what I am guessing (it’s all in Japanese) is basic identification, distribution and life history information added. 780 species are included. The book is all in Japanese, except for giving the title in English on the title page. As with many Japanese books, it comes with a slip case; my copy does not have a dust jacket.Record of the Fishes Obtained in Japan in 1911
by David Starr Jordan and William Francis Thompson. 1914
Memoirs of the Carnegie Museum, Vol. VI(4): 205-313, 87 text figs., pls. 24 - 42. Wrappers
Dr. Jordan spent part of 1911 in Japan and Korea at a Peace conference. With the assistance of local naturalists, he was able to amass a large collection of freshwater and marine fishes. Back in the USA, he worked through these collections with the assistance of W. F. Thompson (1888-1965), the result being this monograph. They recognized just under 400 species in their collections, with about 30 representing new species, with several new genera. The presentation is pretty standard with taxa are listed in taxonomic order. Minimally, just the location is mentioned; taxonomic comments or detailed descriptions are added as necessary. A few identification keys are provided. There are no maps. The text figures are largely drawn from pre-existing sources (such as those available from the Smithsonian or U.S. Fish Commission). Illustrations on the plates were made for this publication (by William Sackerson Atkinson and Anna Brown Nash).Korea
A catalog of the fishes known from the waters of Korea
by David Starr Jordan and Charles William Metz. 1913
Memoirs of the Carnegie Museum, Vol. VI(1): 1-64, 67 text figures, pls. 1-10This is the companion piece to Record of the Fishes Obtained in Japan in 1911. Jordan spent time in Korea and Japan in 1911 and with the help of local naturalists gathered fish specimens (freshwater and marine) which were divided between the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and Jordan’s home institution, Stanford University. Ten new species are described, otherwise the species accounts are pretty brief - sometimes just a locality. The text figures are drawn from Smithsonian or U.S. Fish Commission files and the illustrations on the plates were crafted for this publication.
New Zealand
The fishes of New Zealand - Volume I
by W. J. Phillipps. 1940
New Plymouth, N.Z. : Thomas Avery & Sons, 1940, 87 pp., illus. Softcover
This volume clearly says Volume I on the cover and title page, however, I couldn’t find, in any catalog, any subsequent volumes. I don’t know if they were published. This volume covers the lower fishes – Salmonids (introduced game species), clupiods and galaxiids and such, and the marlin/sailfish crowd. There are identification keys, and species accounts include the basic details including many on exploitation, harvesting, preserving, etc. (including illustrations of harvesting gear). The illustrations are black and white and drawn from divergent sources.
The Queer and the Rare Fishes of New Zealand
by Arthur W. Parrott. 1960
Hodder and Stoughton., London, 192 pages, black and white text figs. hard cover in dust jacket
Sixty seven species of oddly shaped or otherwise unusual marine fishes are illustrated and discussed in this little book. The intended audience was the general reader, angler and amateur naturalist. Still, the author maintains scientific accuracy and detail. Each species account includes descriptive features and details of biology/ecology and import to humans.
Fresh Water Fishes of New Zealand
by G. Stokell. 1955
Christchurch, Simpson & Williams, 145 pp., 32 black and white plates, hard cover, dust jacket
Gerald Stokell (1890-1972) was a self-taught naturalist and one of the first people to study and describe the freshwater fishes of New Zealand (a biography is found here). A number of New Zealand species were first discovered and described by him. Here is his guide to the freshwater ichthyofauna of New Zealand. As he states in his introduction, he aimed this book at the general reader (without sacrificing scientific accuracy or detail), with the hope of broadening the general public’s appreciation and understanding of this fauna. Appreciation and familiarity lead to (the author hoped) greater care and conservation (something I’ve often tried to convey in the classes I teach). It covers native and non-native species (with more than half the book devoted to introduced salmonids). Each species covered is described with details of its biology given. The plates are black and white photographs of preserved specimens.
Sri Lanka
Freshwater Fishes of Sri Lanka
by Rohan Pethiyagoda. 1991
Colombo, Sri Lanka: Wildlife Heritage Trust of Sri Lanka, 362 pp., illus. in black and white and color. Maps. Cloth covered boards in dust jacket
ISBN 955-9114-00-X
This is one of the prettier fish book I have. It has an unusual oblong format, with the extremely graceful Malpulutta kretseri on the cover. Detailed introductory chapters cover hydrology, geology/geography, biogeography and such. A guide to fish identification and keys, usually present in a book such as this, are absent. The species accounts (100 + native and non-native species) are detailed, with sections covering description, habitat, distribution, ecology, utility, status, etc. Each species is illustrated with at least one photograph (usually in color of living specimens) and a spot map or shaded area range map. An extensive literature cited is included as well as reproductions of all the original descriptions of the endemic Sri Lankan forms. The Wildlife Heritage Trust of Sri Lanka sponsored and published this book, and it shows an admirable focus on conservation.
The Queer and the Rare Fishes of New Zealandby Arthur W. Parrott. 1960
Hodder and Stoughton., London, 192 pages, black and white text figs. hard cover in dust jacket
Sixty seven species of oddly shaped or otherwise unusual marine fishes are illustrated and discussed in this little book. The intended audience was the general reader, angler and amateur naturalist. Still, the author maintains scientific accuracy and detail. Each species account includes descriptive features and details of biology/ecology and import to humans.
Fresh Water Fishes of New Zealand
by G. Stokell. 1955
Christchurch, Simpson & Williams, 145 pp., 32 black and white plates, hard cover, dust jacket
Gerald Stokell (1890-1972) was a self-taught naturalist and one of the first people to study and describe the freshwater fishes of New Zealand (a biography is found here). A number of New Zealand species were first discovered and described by him. Here is his guide to the freshwater ichthyofauna of New Zealand. As he states in his introduction, he aimed this book at the general reader (without sacrificing scientific accuracy or detail), with the hope of broadening the general public’s appreciation and understanding of this fauna. Appreciation and familiarity lead to (the author hoped) greater care and conservation (something I’ve often tried to convey in the classes I teach). It covers native and non-native species (with more than half the book devoted to introduced salmonids). Each species covered is described with details of its biology given. The plates are black and white photographs of preserved specimens.Sri Lanka
Freshwater Fishes of Sri Lanka
by Rohan Pethiyagoda. 1991
Colombo, Sri Lanka: Wildlife Heritage Trust of Sri Lanka, 362 pp., illus. in black and white and color. Maps. Cloth covered boards in dust jacket
ISBN 955-9114-00-X
