As one of the largest families within the Caridea, the Alpheidae have attracted much attention for its species richness, especially on coral reefs. The Alpheidae are one of the most abundant decapods in tropical and subtropical areas, with 48 genera and more than 700 known species. The Alpheidae present a particular challenge in terms of both taxonomy and systematics as they are difficult to identify (some species vary in their growth and there are often large differences between the sexes). Traditional, morphology-based research on the Alpheidae still plays an important role in identifying species, compared with new methods, such as the short gene sequences. Based on more than 2000 specimens collected from the China Seas, this book describes and clearly illustrates 146 species belonging to 16 genera of the Alpheidae. It also presents the key features of every genus and every species within every genus, to enable readers to easily identify the alphid shrimps of the China Seas.
Decapod crustaceans, shrimps, crabs, prawns and their allies are highly visible and important members of marine environments. They are among the most charismatic of marine animals, inhabiting beaches, rocky shores and the deep sea, hiding under stones, burrowing in the sediment and nestling in among algae and many other microhabitats. However, most are difficult to identify by the specialist and amateur naturalist alike. Marine Decapod Crustacea explains the anatomical features necessary for differentiating taxa and includes diagnoses and identification keys to all 189 families and 2121 genera of marine Decapoda. Many decapods have vivid colours, which are showcased in a selection of spectacular photographs of many representative species. This volume provides an entry to the literature for taxonomists, naturalists, consultants, ecologists, teachers and students wanting to identify local faunas and understand this diverse group
This volume is devoted to the memory of the Chinese carcinologist Prof. Ruiyu Liu (1922-2012) who dedicated his life to taxonomy, systematics, ecology, zoogeography and aquaculture. His scientific career started in 1949 with his first publications and continued.
The first conference on the Marine Biology of the South China Sea was convened in Hong Kong in 1990, to celebrate the opening of the Swire Institute of Marine Science. The second was convened in Guangzhou, China, in 1993. The third conference returned toHong Kong in 1996 and, in a continuing pattern of growth, was attended by 127 scientists and students from 14 countries and territories. Of the 1O4 keynote addresses, papers and posters presented at the meeting, 42 are published here, following critical peer review, under the symposium categories of Taxonomy and Biological Diversity, Biology and Ecology and Coastal Zone Management and Conservation of the Biological Resources, of the South China Sea.Each conference sets its own symposia themes but in view of the rapid, perceived, decline in the marine environment of the South China Sea and the overexploitation of its resources, the 1996 meeting focused its attention on these issues.There are many meetings related to marine science convened by the countries of the South China rim. Some are national, others are international, but most are typically convened by agencies and attendance is restricted to an invited few, usually senior scientists. Europe hosts a European Marine Biology Symposium, that is convened in a different country each year and which sets the meeting's themes. The proceedings of those meetings constitute one of the most authoritative accounts of the marine biology of European waters. The meeting itself provides a forum for scientists and students, so that international collaborative research is now a key feature of European marine science. First convened in 1996, the 32 symposia are a tribute to international co-operation in research in a marine environment that, of itself, knows no boundaries.The South China Sea countries also need such a forum, free of political dogma. This conference proceedings is the third to help promote such an event, hopefully, one day, at a greater frequency than three years. The fourth conference is to be convened in the Philippines in 1999.This volume then is an international perspective on the South China Sea by scientists who research it and are concerned for its future. It contains information that should appeal to marine biologists throughout the world and, in particular, to those in Asia.
