United States
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Unique among the world's fishes, frogfishes display a bizarre combination of attributes and behaviours that make them a subject of fervent study. Through cunning and trickery, they turn would-be predators into prey; they "walk" across the ocean floor and jet-propel through open water; some lay their eggs in a floating mucoid mass, while others employ complex patterns of parental care; and they are certainly among the most colourful of nature's productions. In Frogfishes, two of the world's leading anglerfish experts, Theodore W. Pietsch and Rachel J. Arnold, bring together an enormous amount of information about these incredible creatures. The only detailed exploration of frogfishes in print, Frogfishes touches on everything from their morphology and biomechanics to their diets and habitats.
Enhanced with more than 500 spectacular colour images, the book also includes:
- a thorough look at about 5,000 preserved specimens;
- an annotated synonymy for all extant taxa, as well as keys and tables to facilitate identification;
- insights into frogfish feeding, locomotion, mimicry, and reproductive behavior;
- descriptions of recent scientific advances, including the discovery of new species, shifts in geographic distribution, and emerging DNA sequencing techniques; and
- tips for frogfish-seeking divers and aquarists that emphasize conservation.
Unmasking the mysteries of frogfish evolution and phylogenetic relationships through close examination of their fossil record, morphology, and molecular reconstruction, Frogfishes demonstrates the surprising diversity and beauty of this remarkable assemblage of marine shorefishes.
Preface
Acknowledgments
1. Introduction
2. Approach and Procedures
3. What Makes a Frogfish?
4. Biodiversity
5. Evolutionary Relationships
6. Zoogeography
7. Behavioral Ecology
8. Tips for Aquarists and Divers and the Need for Conservation With Scott W. Michael
Reallocation of Nominal Species of Frogfishes
Glossary
References
Illustration Credits
Index
Theodore W. Pietsch (Seattle, WA) is professor emeritus in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington. He is the author of more than a dozen books, including Trees of Life: A Visual History of Evolution and Oceanic Anglerfishes: Extraordinary Diversity in the Deep Sea. Rachel J. Arnold (Bellingham, WA) is the associate director of the Salish Sea Research Center at Northwest Indian College.
"Based on new collections of specimens from around the world, this stunning book summarizes everything known about the more than 50 species of frogfishes. Pietsch is the only person in the world qualified to write this book. It will stand as the cornerstone of scholarship for these fascinating and beautiful fishes."
– James Wilder Orr, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service / NOAA
"A scientifically robust and accessible book by two highly respected taxonomists. Most laypeople are unaware of the diversity and beauty of frogfishes and will be amazed when they encounter it."
– Andrew L. Stewart, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
"The introduction traces the full history of our knowledge of frogfishes from the earliest published record – a woodcut labeled Pira-Vtoewah, forma monstrosa, representing a Western Atlantic frogfish, dating back to 1633 – to the present. No one does this better."
– John E. Randall, Senior Ichthyologist Emeritus, Bernice P. Bishop Museum / Graduate Faculty in Zoology, University of Hawaii
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