Fishes

Fishes make up more than 33,000 living species, which is over half of all vertebrate life on Earth. This volume organizes that variety into all 82 fish orders and more than 150 of the families people most often encounter, highlighting what sets each group apart.

Identification is the central aim. Each entry pairs clear photographs of preserved specimens, drawn largely from the Marine Vertebrate Collection at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, with the traits needed to tell groups apart. Radiographs and extra drawings illustrate the lineages with the greatest internal and external variation, and every group is followed by references and notes on its ecology.

Arranged according to a current classification scheme, the guide offers a wide view of fish body structure. It is meant for students, fisheries researchers, marine biologists, vertebrate zoologists, and general naturalists, and it works well alongside more formal ichthyology textbooks.