The authoritative expert's guide to fascinating frogfishes and their unusual lives.

Winner of the PROSE Award for Best Single Volume Reference in Science by the Association of American Publishers

Unique among the world's fishes, frogfishes display a bizarre combination of attributes and behaviors 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 colorful 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, the book touches on everything from their morphology and biomechanics to their diets and habitats. Enhanced with more than 500 spectacular color 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.

The authoritative expert's guide to fascinating frogfishes and their unusual lives.

About the Author

Theodore W. Pietsch 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 is the associate director of the Salish Sea Research Center at Northwest Indian College.

Reviews
This impressive book includes all of the information, with beautiful photographs and illustrations, for the 52 species of frogfishes (family Antennariidae, order Lophiiformes) known as of 2020 . . . Every university library should have a copy. Ichthyologists, collectors of books on fishes and others with a serious interest in anglerfishes will also find this book a valuable addition to their libraries.
-Bruce C. Mundy, Fisheries


Awards
Winner of PROSE Award for Best Single Volume Reference in Science 2020 (United States).



Book Information
ISBN 9781421432526
Author Theodore W. Pietsch
Format Hardback
Page Count 624
Imprint Johns Hopkins University Press
Publisher Johns Hopkins University Press
Weight(grams) 1814g
Dimensions(mm) 254mm * 178mm * 47mm