This volume is a comprehensive, fully illustrated catalogue of the sharks, batoid fishes, and chimaeras of the Indian Ocean. It includes 10 orders, 23 families, 45 genera, and 78 species of cartilaginous fishes, providing accounts for all orders, families and genera, and all keys to taxa are fully illustrated.
Rays are among the largest fishes and evolved from shark-like ancestors nearly 200 million years ago. They share with sharks many life history traits: all species are carnivores or scavengers; all reproduce by internal fertilisation; and all have similar morphological and anatomical characteristics, such as skeletons built of cartilage. Rays of the World is the first complete pictorial atlas of the world’s ray fauna and includes information on many species only recently discovered by scientists while undertaking research for the book. It includes all 26 families and 633 valid named species of rays, but additional undescribed species exist for many groups. Rays of the World features a unique collection of paintings of all living species by Australian natural history artist Lindsay Marshall, compiled as part of a multinational research initiative, the Chondrichthyan Tree of Life Project. Images sourced from around the planet were used by the artist to illustrate the fauna. This comprehensive overview of the world’s ray fauna summarises information such as general identifying features and distributional information about these iconic, but surprisingly poorly known, fishes. It will enable readers to gain a better understanding of the rich diversity of rays and promote wider public interest in the group. Rays of the World is an ideal reference for a wide range of readers, including conservationists, fishery managers, scientists, fishers, divers, students and book collectors.
This field guide covers the major resource groups likely to be encountered in the fisheries of Myanmar. This includes stomatopods, shrimps, lobsters, crabs, bivalves, gastropods, brachiopods, sea cucumbers, cephalopods, sharks, batoids and bony fishes. Each resource group is introduced by a general section on technical terms and measurements pertinent to that group and an illustrated guide to orders and families of the group. The more important species are treated in detail with accounts providing scientific nomenclature, FAO names in English and French (where available), local names used in Myanmar, diagnostic features, one or more illustrations, maximum size, and notes on fisheries and habitat. Colour plates for a large number of the species are included. The guide is fully indexed and a list of further literature is appended.
An updated and comprehensive guide identifying all of the world's sharks Sharks are some of the most misunderstood animals on the planet. We still have a lot to learn about these fascinating creatures, which are more seriously threatened with extinction and in greater need of conservation and management than any other major group of vertebrates. A Pocket Guide to Sharks of the World is the only field guide to identify, illustrate, and describe every known shark species. Its compact format makes it handy for many situations, including recognizing living species, fishery catches, or parts sold at markets. This expanded second edition presents lavish images, details on newly discovered species, and updated text throughout. The book contains useful sections on identifying shark teeth and the shark fins most commonly encountered in the fin trade, and takes a look at shark biology, ecology, and conservation. A Pocket Guide to Sharks of the World will be an essential resource and definitive reference for years to come. An updated guide to all of the world’s sharks Each species is illustrated and described Handy, compact format with concise text Useful sections on the identification of shark teeth and fins
This volume is a comprehensive, fully illustrated catalogue of the sharks, batoid fishes, and chimaeras of the North Atlantic, encompassing FAO Fishing Areas 21 and 27. The present volume includes 11 orders, 32 families, 66 genera, and 148 species of cartilaginous fishes occurring in the North Atlantic. The Catalogue includes a section on standard measurements for a shark, batoid, and chimaera, with associated terms. It provides accounts for all orders, families, and genera and all keys to taxa are fully illustrated. Information under each species account includes: valid modern names and original citation of the species; synonyms; the English, French, and Spanish FAO names for the species; a lateral view for sharks and chimaeras, dorsal and often also ventral view for batoids, and often other useful illustrations; field marks; diagnostic features; distribution, including a GIS map; habitat; biology; size; interest to fisheries and human impact; local names when available; a remarks sections; and literature. The volume is fully indexed and also includes sections on terminology and measurements including an extensive glossary, a list of species by FAO Statistical Areas, and a dedicated bibliography.
This volume presents a fully illustrated field guide for the identification of the sharks and rays most relevant to the fisheries of the Mediterranean and Black Sea. An extensive literature review was carried out for the preparation of this document. A total of 49 sharks, 34 batoids and 1 chimaera are fully treated. The presence of 5 sharks and 2 batoids included in this field guide, need, however, to be confirmed. The guide includes sections on technical terms and measurements for sharks and batoids, and fully illustrated keys to those orders and families that occur in the region. Each species account includes: at least one annotated illustration of the species highlighting its relevant identification characters; basic information on nomenclature, synonyms and possible misidentifications; FAO common names; basic information on size, habitat and biology, distribution, importance to fisheries, and conservation and exploitation status.
The Darwin Elasmobranch Biodiversity Conservation and Management project in Sabah held a three-day international seminar that included a one-day workshop in order to highlight freshwater and coastal elasmobranch conservation issues in the region and worldwide, to disseminate the result of the project to other Malaysian states and countries, and to raise awareness of the importance of considering aspects of elasmobranch biodiversity in the context of nature conservation, commercial fisheries management, and for subsistence fishing communities. These proceedings contain numerous peer-reviewed papers originally presented at the seminar, which cover a wide range of topics, with particular reference to species from freshwater and estuarine habitats. The workshop served to develop recommendations concerning the future prospects of elasmobranch fisheries, biodiversity, conservation and management. This paper records those conclusions, which highlight the importance of elasmobranchs as top marine predators and keystone species, noting that permanent damage to shark and ray populations are likely to have serious and unexpected negative consequences for commercial and subsistence yields of other important fish stocks.
Sharks and their relatives, the rays and chimaeras, are the diverse group of cartilaginous fishes that have evolved over 400 million years. Historically considered of low economic value to large-scale fisheries, today many of these fishes have become the target of directed commercial and recreational fisheries around the world, and they are increasingly taken in the by-catch of fisheries targeting other species. This report emphasizes the widely-acknowledged need to improve shark fishery monitoring, expand biological research and take management action. It serves as an introduction to the ecology, status and conservation of the sharks and their relatives for a general audience. Shark fisheries can only be managed sustainably, and shark populations remain viable, with the introduction of new conservation and management initiatives.
An extensively rewritten, revised and updated version of the original FAO Catalogue of Sharks of the World. This volume reviews all 15 families, 25 genera and 57 species of living bullhead, mackerel and carpet sharks, including certain well-established but currently undescribed species, mainly from Australia.
Rays are among the largest fishes and evolved from shark-like ancestors nearly 200 million years ago. They share with sharks many life history traits: all species are carnivores or scavengers; all reproduce by internal fertilisation; and all have similar morphological and anatomical characteristics, such as skeletons built of cartilage. Rays of the World is the first complete pictorial atlas of the world’s ray fauna and includes information on many species only recently discovered by scientists while undertaking research for the book. It includes all 26 families and 633 valid named species of rays, but additional undescribed species exist for many groups. Rays of the World features a unique collection of paintings of all living species by Australian natural history artist Lindsay Marshall, compiled as part of a multinational research initiative, the Chondrichthyan Tree of Life Project. Images sourced from around the planet were used by the artist to illustrate the fauna. This comprehensive overview of the world’s ray fauna summarises information such as general identifying features and distributional information about these iconic, but surprisingly poorly known, fishes. It will enable readers to gain a better understanding of the rich diversity of rays and promote wider public interest in the group. Rays of the World is an ideal reference for a wide range of readers, including conservationists, fishery managers, scientists, fishers, divers, students and book collectors.
