Fishes of the Sea

Book excerpt: This photographic and descriptive guide to the fish species that inhabit the North Atlantic and Mediterranean is unique in its emphasis on the appearance of marine fish in their natural habitats. It expands and recasts the Lythgoes' highly regarded first edition published two decades ago. In particular, all of the more than 200 color photographs are new, and most are accompanied by line drawings that emphasize distinctive traits. The fish are arranged by class, family, and species, and succinct descriptions give detailed information about anatomy, distribution, food, and breeding habits. Most of the photographs were taken underwater, providing valuable information on how the fish swims in nature, its true colors and pattern, and whether or not it is camouflaged against its natural background. The geographical area covered in the book includes the Atlantic coastal waters of the United States and Canada north of Chesapeake Bay; the Mediterranean; and from Gibraltar north to the Arctic, including all the coasts of Europe. John Lythgoe, a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Bristol, is an expert on the appearance and color of fish underwater. The section of the book on the gobies, a group of fish that are as difficult to study as they are interesting, has been contributed by Peter J. Miller. Gillian Lythgoe is a diver, photographer, and the future and managing director of Planet Earth Pictures, whose collection covers a wide range of natural history and environmental subjects.