Abstracts from Journal of Fish Biology review .....Marine biologists in general and ichthyologists in particular will be the expected users of this book, but its content will also appeal to fish taxonomists in particular. The book is very attractive and the strength of it as a guide lies in its detailed drawings, well-written keys, high-quality colour photographs and line drawings, and the inclusion of other biological data. The book is arranged to suit both laboratory and field work and it covers over 500 shark species belonging to 34 families. This includes 90 species whose names did not appear in the previously most exhaustive treatment of shark taxonomy of Compagno et al. (2005) (Compagno, L., Dando, M. & Fowler, S, F. (2005). Sharks of the World. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press) and a further 77 new shark species named since 2005. The decision of the authors to include biological data, distribution, ecological habitat information, behaviour, size, number of teeth and IUCN status for each species is particularly important to facilitate a firstlook identification process and to increase the reader’s familiarity with the species. In my view, the authors have set a new benchmark for shark classification and the arrangement is quite clever from the point of view of presenting outstanding line drawings and photographs. As a result, the book does not overwhelm the reader with huge amounts of information at this early stage of shark identification, which is particularly useful if the reader is not a taxonomist or even an ichthyologist.... ......This book is currently the only single guide to cover over 500 of the world’s shark species as it is a very colourful and attractive publication that offers a consistent treatment of sharks occurring in habitats around the world. It is a very useful book that should be of great help to those interested in shark species, from amateurs to professionals enjoying the diversity of these remarkable fishes. The layout and quality of the publication live up to the high standard we have come to expect from the publisher and at £45·00 readers will find the book to be excellent value for money. LAITH A. JAWAD Manukau, Auckland, New Zealand
Posted on: Wed, 06 Nov 2013 15:52:05 +0000
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