Overview for Fundamentals of Fish Taxonomy
This book is primarily meant for beginners in fish taxonomy, students, teachers and amateur naturalists who are interested to know the different aspects of fish, their diversity, diagnostic characters, methods of collection, preservation, future care, gears employed and means to identify them and give a correct scientific name. The various technical terms used in selection of types, how they are selected, the rules governing them, the regulations of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature, the various systems of nomenclature, synonyms, homonyms, their categories are all explained with examples. A brief history of taxonomy and the different phases it has undergone are detailed. The utility of various characters for identification and the methods of using them in keys are explained. Different types of keys which are in vogue are shown with examples. The various body measurements and counts of fish are listed with illustrative diagrams. Useful hints for describing an already known species and a new one are given. Model descriptions of a scaled and a non-scaled fishes are appended. 41 illustrations are inserted at appropriate places in the text. An index of scientific names and also of technical terms is included. This book is perhaps the first of its kind to be published in India and is compact and comprehensive to accommodate all information that would be required for the above-mentioned clientele besides others.
K C Jayaram (Author)
Dr. K.C. Jayaram, former joint director, Zoological Survey of India has been active in freshwater fish taxonomy and Zoogeography since 1947. He has covered many river systems for their fish fauna such as Brahmputra, Cauvery, Krishna and Mahanadi through intensive surveys. His work on the Cauvery fish Fauna is a comprehensive first-time account of the fish fauna of the entire river system. This work served as the basis for an integrated research programme on the same river funded by the ministry of Environment and Forests. Eleven post-graduate colleges and six Universities participated in this three year programme. Dr. Jayaram was the director of this project and results are under publication under his executive editorship. He is a member of many scientific committees and his advice is sought after in biodiversity, river ecology matters specially in respect of the fish fauna. He is a D.Sc. of Madras University and a Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy, Allahabad, Zoological Society of India, Bhubaneshwar and Madras Science Foundation, Chennai. He was awarded the prestigious Pitambar Pant National Environment Fellowship by the Ministry of Environment and Forests and is currently studying the eco-status of the Deccan Mahseer fishes. He has trained and guided a number of students who occupy important positions. He has to his credit about 120 papers including several monographs published in India and abroad. His earlier book on the same subject was universally acclaimed and ran out of print fast. He is considered on of the leading authorities on the freshwater fish fauna of the Indian region.
Bagchee
