Rays of the World - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0643109137 ISBN 13: 9780643109131

Publisher: CSIRO Publishing, 2016

Synopsis

Rays are among the largest fishes and evolved from shark-like ancestors nearly 200 million years ago. They share with sharks many life history traits: all species are carnivores or scavengers; all reproduce by internal fertilisation; and all have similar morphological and anatomical characteristics, such as skeletons built of cartilage. Rays of the World is the first complete pictorial atlas of the world's ray fauna and includes information on many species only recently discovered by scientists while undertaking research for the book. It includes all 26 families and 633 valid named species of rays, but additional undescribed species exist for many groups. In addition to being a vital resource on rays, the book features a visually-sumptuous and unique collection of paintings of all living species by Australian natural history artist Lindsay Marshall, compiled as part of a multinational research initiative, the Chondrichthyan Tree of Life Project. Images sourced from around the planet were used by the artist to illustrate the fauna.

About this title

About the Author

Peter R. Last is a Senior Principal Research Scientist with CSIRO National Research Collections, and former head of the Australian National Fish Collection, Hobart, Tasmania.

Edition details

• Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0643109137
• ISBN 13: 9780643109131
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 800
• Editor: Last Peter R., Naylor Gavin J.P., Séret Bernard, White William T., Stehmann Matthias F.W., De Carvalho Marcelo R.