Fishes of the family Lethrinidae from the Western Indian Ocean

Smith, J.L.B. (James Leonard Brierley), 1897-1968

Home
Show All
Show Quick Collection
Highlights +
Most Accessed Papers Most Accessed Items Most Accessed Authors Recent Additions
Search History
Clear Session
Help

Change Site View +
Nelson Mandela University Rhodes University Rhodes University Cory Rhodes University ILAM Rhodes University SAIAB University of Fort Hare Walter Sisulu University

Home

RU SAIAB J L B Smith Collection

Ichthyological Bulletin

Add to Quick Collection

Smith, J.L.B. (James Leonard Brierley), 1897-1968. Department of Ichthyology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa; Fishes of the family Lethrinidae from the Western Indian Ocean.

File	Description	Size	Format
MODS	MODS Descriptive Metadata	3 KB	XML Document	View Details	Download
SOURCEPDF	PDF	23 MB	Adobe Acrobat PDF	View Details	Download

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018778

Title: Fishes of the family Lethrinidae from the Western Indian Ocean
Title: Ichthyological Bulletin; No. 17
Creator: Smith, J.L.B. (James Leonard Brierley), 1897-1968
Contributor: Smith, Margaret Mary (Illustrator)
Subject: Lethrinidae -- Indian Ocean
Publisher: Department of Ichthyology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
Description: Among the most difficult problems of the systematist are certain groups of tropical fishes, notably the Parrotfishes and the Lethrinidae, whose bright colours fade quickly after death. Both of these groups are especially abundant in the Indo-Pacific. The Parrotfishes are troublesome enough, but the species do tend to retain the same livery fairly constantly in life, and there are several features that provide well defined generic cleavage, as well as useful clues to species. The Lethrinidae are more difficult, having fewer variable features. Even dimensions, e.g. relative depth, are useful only when comparable stadia can be compared, as considerable general change in body shape may occur with growth. Under the water these are troublesome fishes to identify, as most species are camouflaged by an intricate pattern of cross bars, cloudy patches, and reticulations, which make them all look much alike. In addition, they are among the most wary of the reef fishes, and difficult to approach for close scrutiny. Fresh from the water, the concealing, darker, cross markings and reticulations usually fade within a few moments, and some species are not difficult to recognise, since just after death, colour and pattern are normally reasonably constant within one species, a few are almost constant, others show variation round a typical pattern.
Description: Rhodes University Libraries (Digitisation)

Relationships: Show Relationship Browser for this Object
collection(s): Ichthyological Bulletin
Identifier: vital:14979
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018778
Format: Ichthyological Bulletin; No. 17

Vital Repository 7.0