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Ichthyology is the study of fishes.
Fishes are defined as cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates that
live and breathe in water. They are typically scaled, with
streamlined bodies and fins for swimming, and they ‘breathe’
by passing water, with dissolved oxygen, over their gills.
Fishes are found in nearly every underwater habitat, in both
fresh and salt waters. They inhabit shallow tropical ponds,
desert hot springs and near-freezing Arctic waters.
Approximately 25,000 species have been identified, and new
species continue to be discovered each year; fishes comprise
about half of all known vertebrate species. While fishes were
once classified in a single class (Pisces), four distinct
classes are now recognized: Actinopterygh (ray-finned fishes),
Choanichthyes (fins with central skeletal axis), Chondrychthyes
(sharks) and the extinct Aphetohyidean (primitive jawed fish).
Fishes are typically divided into two groups: jawless (hagfish
and lampreys) and jawed. Jawed fishes are also separated into
two groups: bony (having skeletons comprised of rigid bone,
e.g. lungfish, herring, salmon) and cartilaginous (having
skeletons comprised of elastic cartilage, e.g. sharks and
rays).
Fishes are a vital part of the food chain for both wildlife
and humans. The food chain in the sea is comprised of many
tiers in which fish eat other fish. In addition, seabirds,
seals, humans, and dolphin and eagle species are some of the
many warm-blooded animals that depend on fish.
Some fish species are endangered because of over-fishing
- many have been harvested
beyond their capacity to sustain their populations. Species
like sharks are particularly threatened by fishing, as most
do not grow to reproductive maturity for many years.
Freshwater species are most seriously threatened; over-fishing,
water pollution and habitat destruction have devastated populations
and species.
Information, database, photo library, links, publications
IWR is a web site dedicated to providing a comprehensive directory
of online ichthyology resources organized for scientists,
higher education students, and other professional level users.
FishBase is a comprehensive and international fish site with
26,550 species, 74,280 synonyms, 120,700 common names, 31,115
pictures and 25,000 references.
The site offers an excellent online ichthyology course. The
key resource made accessible through this guide is FishBase,
a large database on the biology of fish. Following brief introductions
to ichthyology and to FishBase, and to the use of the latter
to teach the former, the key aspects of ichthyology are presented
in five chapters covering Evolution and classification; Morphology
and biodiversity; Reproduction; Physiology; and Fishes as
part of ecosystems.
Species Profiles: Life Histories and Environmental Requirements
of Coastal Fishes and invertebrates.
Animal Diversity Web’s search feature allows you to access
more than 500 articles about fish and descriptions of individual
species.
A joint project of the Axelrod Institute of Ichthyology and
the Library of the University of Guelph, this site is the
electronic publishing centre for Guelph Ichthyology Reviews,
a free online journal. The following areas are emphasized:
conservation and biodiversity (including but not restricted
to rare, threatened and endangered species); evolution and
genetics;paleontology of fishes; physiology; life history
and ecology; behaviour, and taxonomy and systematics.
The journal publishes articles of international repute on
ichthyology, aquaculture, and marine fisheries; ichthyopathology
and ichthyoimmunology; environmental toxicology using fishes
as test organisms; basic research on fishery management; and
aspects of integrated coastal zone management in relation
to fisheries and aquaculture. Online index, abstracts and
free sample copy.
is an international scientific journal publishing original,
peer-reviewed, English-language papers on the culture of aquatic
plants and animals. The Journal, published quarterly, covers
nutrition, disease, genetics and breeding, physiology, environmental
quality, culture systems engineering, husbandry practices,
and economics and marketing as well as a number of other topics
related to the culture of aquatic organisms. The Journal is
listed in Current Contents as well as several other major
Contents/Abstracting services and currently has a citation
factor of 0.727.
this online newsletter features announcements, meeting reports,
updates, current research Activities in various countries
(Australia, Caribbean, Germany, Mexico, Ukraine, United States),
books and reviews.
quarterly online magazine features articles on finding, collecting,
rearing, observing, conserving, breeding, and the biology
and ecology of North American fishes and their habitats. News
about aquarium science, laws and legislation, the environment,
scientific literature and developments, and other information.
Bulletin of the Aquatic Conservation Network.
Download PDF files
American Aquarium Fishes:(W.L. Moody, Jr., Natural History Series, No 28)
by Robert J. Goldstein (Photographer), Rodney W. Harper, Richard Edwards (Contributor)
Hardcover - 464 pages
Texas A&M University Press
ISBN:0890968802
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Coral Reef Fishes:Dynamics and Diversity in a Complex Ecosystem
by Peter F. Sale (Editor)
Hardcover: 500 pages
Academic Press
ISBN:0126151857
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Fishes:An Introduction to Ichthyology (4th Edition)
by Peter B. Moyle, Joseph J. Cech
Hardcover: 612 pages
Prentice Hall
ISBN:0130112828
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National Audubon Society Field Guide to Tropical Marine Fishes of the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, the Bahamas, and Bermuda:
by C. Lavett Smith, National Audubon Society
Turtleback: 720 pages
Knopf
ISBN:067944601X
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