Fishes: An Introduction to Ichthyology, Fifth Edition
- Book Review,
by Peter B. Moyle, Joseph J. Cech
From Book News, Inc.
<:;st> The first edition (1982) is cited in BCL3. Intended for upper-level college students of fish biology, this authoritative, updated text comprises 37 chapters and is divided into four main sections: fish structure and form (covering respiration, buoyancy and thermal regulation, hydromineral balance, and other topics); all groups of fish (including a discussion of systematics and evolution); zoogeography (of both freshwater and marine fishes); and ecology (discussing fish communities from polar regions to temperate streams to tropical reefs, with coverage of conservation as well). Line drawings with a few b&w photographs. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.
Book Description
This book provides a comprehensive and current source of information on fishes—including systematics, zoogeography, behavior, and conservation of fishes—that is often needed by professionals as background for writing accurate reports. This book covers the structure and physiology, evolution and taxonomy, zoogeography, and ecology and conservation of fishes. For fisheries biologists, conservation biologists, and aquatic ecologists that need an up-to-date reference on Ichthyology.
The publisher, Prentice-Hall Engineering/Science/Mathematics
One of the most comprehensive and current general sources of information on fishes, this widely recognized text covers the structure and physiology, evolution and taxonomy, zoogeography, and ecology and conservation of fishes. Broad in perspective and flexibly arranged, it integrates the basics with recent developments in other areas and provides a feeling for the excitement being generated by recent research on fishes.
From the Back Cover
This book provides a comprehensive and current source of information on fishes—including systematics, zoogeography, behavior, and conservation of fishes—that is often needed by professionals as background for writing accurate reports. This book covers the structure and physiology, evolution and taxonomy, zoogeography, and ecology and conservation of fishes. For fisheries biologists, conservation biologists, and aquatic ecologists that need an up-to-date reference on Ichthyology.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Ichthyology has traditionally emphasized the systematics, anatomy, and distribution of fishes. In the past, most prominent names associated with the field made their major contributions in these areas. Today, however, people who study fish have more far-reaching interests. They study fish to find ways to improve fisheries or aquaculture, to determine the effects of human activities on aquatic environments, and to test ideas in rapidly developing fields, such as ecology, physiology, behavior, and evolution. Growing numbers of sophisticated amateur ichthyologists desire to increase their understanding of fish they keep in aquaria or of those they pursue with hook and line. Regardless of why fish are studied, those studying them still need the basic vocabulary and understanding of fish biology that traditional areas of emphasis provide and that are found in this book, integrated with recent developments in other areas. Our goal is to provide some feeling for the excitement engendered by recent research on fishes. We also want to promote a sense of urgency for the need to protect fishes and aquatic ecosystems. It is critical that a high diversity of fishes continue to be around to fascinate future generations. In large part, this book is designed to serve as a text in classes on fish biology. The large number of chapters and the cross-references within chapters provide instructors of such courses with flexibility when assigning readings in the text. The students we had in mind while writing were junior- and senior-level university students. Our goal, however, is also to provide a useful and palatable summary of recent developments in ichthyology for individuals who have been away from the college classroom for some time and for anyone else who wants an introduction to the most numerous, diverse, and fascinating of all vertebrate groups. This book would not have been possible without the encouragement and help of many people. Initial stimulation and support in fish biology was provided by John B. Moyle, Evelyn W. Moyle, and James C. Underhill (to PB.M.) and by Donald E. Wohlschlag (to J.J.C.). Gary D. Grossman, Donald M. Baltz, and Robert A. Daniels were especially helpful in developing the first versions of many chapters. Numerous graduate and undergraduate students contributed valuable comments on various chapters and/or helped to keep our research programs going while we devoted time to writing. We benefited from discussions with Jeff Graham, Fred White, Tony Farrell, Alan Heath, Carl Schreck, Monica Choi, Stephanie Chun, Hiram Li, Ken Gobalet, Dave Randall, Mikko Nikinmaa, George V Lauder, Laurie Sanderson, Chris Myrick, Cincin Young, Tina Swanson, Carlos Crocker, Shana Katzman, Ann Houck, Ryan Mayfield, Marianne Brick, Keith Marine, Michael Karogosian, Peter Wainwright, and Serge Doroshov. The expert editorial assistance of Chris Myrick and Julie Roessig was especially appreciated during preparation of the fourth and fifth editions, respectively. Ms. Roessig also contributed several original figures to the fifth edition. Trilia Chen also contributed an original figure and editorial assistance to the fifth edition. The reviews of selected chapters in previous editions by Eugene Balon, Michael Bell, David Ehrenfeld, Dale Lott, John Radovich, Arnold Sillman, Randolph Smith, and Paul Webb are appreciated, as are comments by Brooks Burr, Barbara Block, Alfred Ebeling, Kurt Fausch, Malcolm Gordon, Bruce Herbold, Mark Hixon, Paul James, Douglas Markle, John McEachran, Lawrence Page, Theodore Pietsch, Howard Reisman, Frank J. Schwartz, Jerry J. Smith, Timothy Tricas, Linda A. Ward, and Ronald M. Yoshiyama. Theodore Pietsch, Joseph Eastman, Leonard J. Compagno, and Tim M. Berra kindly shared with us their photographs and illustrations of curious fishes. Marjorie Kirkman-Iverson and the staff of our department assisted us in many ways—but especially by keeping the departmental office running efficiently, making it much easier to accomplish our regular duties while the book was in progress. Finally, we are exceedingly grateful to our wives, Marilyn Moyle and Mary Cech, for permitting our marriages to survive and even grow stronger during the many hours over the years we have worked on fish, and to our now-grown children, Petrea and Noah Moyle and Scott and Gregor Cech, for continuing to accept us despite our sometimes obsessive interest in fish. The following reviewers were generous in providing comments and criticism of various editions of the book: Gary J. Atchison, Iowa State University; Dan Beckman, Southwest Missouri State University; Giacomo Bernardi, University of California, Santa Cruz; William Falls, Hillsborough Community College; Ronald A. Fritzsche, Humboldt State University; Kurt D. Fausch, Colorado State University; Malcolm S. Gordon, University of California, Los Angeles; Paul Grecay, Salisbury University; David W Greenfield, University of Hawaii, Honolulu; Ralph J. Larson, San Francisco State University; Douglas E. Markle, Oregon State University; Andrew Martin, University of Nevada, Las Vegas; John D. McEachran, Texas A & M University; Karina Mrakovcich, U.S. Coast Guard Academy; Jay Nelson, Towson University; Douglas B. Noltie, University of Missouri, Columbia; Steven M. Norris, Miami University of Ohio; J. Michael Parrish, Northern Illinois University; Anne Phelps, Morehead State University; Theodore W. Pietsch, University of Washington; Howard M. Reisman, Southampton College; Charles G. Scalet, South Dakota State University; Andrew L. Sheldon, University of Montana; Jerry J Smith, San Jose State University; Ronald L. Smith, University of Alaska, Fairbanks; and Timothy C. Tricas, Florida Institute of Technology.
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