Coastal Fishes of the Western Indian Ocean
The Coastal Fishes of the Western Indian Ocean book follows the fine tradition of producing multi-authored, illustrated volumes on fish diversity pioneered by Margaret Smith and Phil Heemstra with Smiths’ Sea Fishes. It is the culmination of the work of more than 100 authors, photographers and illustrators from 20 countries, over many years. The book is divided into five volumes and its primary purpose is to aid in identifying about 3 500 species of fishes that occur in the coastal waters (to about 200 m) of the Western Indian Ocean (WIO). The latter covers the Red Sea, Persian/Arabian Gulf, to Kanyakumari, India, in the east; west to Cape Point, South Africa; and south to St Paul and Amsterdam Islands at 38° S.
Smith Memorial Lecture
CFWIO in the context of the South African National System of Innovation and Official launch of the book.
Volume 1
The first section of Volume 1 contains introductory and supplementary material. This includes chapters on the classification and naming of fishes; aspects of their biology; the oceanography of the WIO; the origins of its coral reefs; its fisheries; and the explorers who discovered, collected and named the fishes. Author biographies, a list of abbreviations, a comprehensive glossary and a bibliography are also in this section.
The second section contains the first of the systematic accounts, starting with an introduction to the Myxiniformes and Petromyzontiformes. Class Chondrichthyes is introduced with an account of their origins and evolution, their anatomy, and aspects of their biology and diversity in the WIO, followed by keys and diagnoses of families, genera and species.
Colour illustrations for most of the species in this volume are compiled in 82 colour plates. These are referenced by a plate number in the species accounts.
Indexes of scientific and English common names for this volume are also provided.
Volume 2
Volume 2 begins with an account of the origins and evolution of the teleosts, their anatomy, and a key to orders of non-perciform fishes, followed by keys and diagnoses of the families, genera and species.
Colour illustrations for most of the species in this volume are compiled in 130 colour plates. These are referenced by a plate number in the species accounts.
Indexes of scientific and English common names for this volume are also provided.
Volume 3
Volume 3 begins with a key to families of the perciform and other orders of fishes that are described in Volumes 3, 4 and 5, followed by the diagnoses of families, genera and species in this volume.
Colour illustrations for most of the species in this volume are compiled in 158 colour plates. These are referenced by a plate number in the species accounts.
Indexes of scientific and English common names for this volume are also provided.
Volume 4
Volume 4 begins with a key to families of the perciform and other orders of fishes that are described in Volumes 3, 4 and 5, followed by the diagnoses of families, genera and species in this volume.
Colour illustrations for most of the species in this volume are compiled in 168 colour plates. These are referenced by a plate number in the species accounts.
Indexes of scientific and English common names for this volume are also provided.
Volume 5
Volume 5 begins with a key to families of the perciform and other orders of fishes that are described in Volumes 3, 4 and 5, followed by the diagnoses of families, genera and species in this volume, and includes accounts for Pleuronectiformes, Tetraodontiformes and Coelacanthiformes.
Colour illustrations for most of the species in this volume are compiled in 129 colour plates. These are referenced by a plate number in the species accounts.
Indexes of scientific and English common names for this volume are also provided.