Review

Archive of Fishery and Marine Research

42(3), 1995

Schwarzhans, W.: Piscium Catalogus. Part: Otolithi piscium, Vol I. A comparative morphological treatise of recent and fossil otoliths of the family Sciaenidae (Perciformes). München: Friedrich H. Pfeil Verlag 1993; 245 pp.; DM 240,–; ISBN 3923871-10-8.

In our days information about science and research have become part of a daily radio and TV coverage. Hence many biological themes have gained from this broadcast, becoming interesting to and regarded as important by a wide public. Unfortunately most of the »classical« disciplines of biology, such as anatomy and morphology are not included yet, but remain the domain of a relatively select group of specialists.

When undertaking to write a book on the structure and history of fish otoliths, Werner Schwarzhans certainly was aware of addressing to an even smaller group of experts. But regarding the way he tackled this task and taking into account that publications of that kind may appear at best once per century the book might open up its content to many readers.

The catalogue is subdivided into two parts: basic information (chapters 1 to 6), and specific descriptions (chapter 7). If you are not an expert in fish otoliths you are found to read the first part carefully in order to understand the descriptive part in detail. It was well decided by the author to accumulate basic descriptions in a few paragraphs thus preventing users from reading these information redundantly.

If you are an expert in fish otoliths you are nevertheless recommended to read at least chapters
3. Distribution of recent Sciaenidae
4. Fossil Sciaenidae otoliths
and 5. Phylogenetical usage of Sciaenidae otoliths,
for the pleasure of reading a stimulating text.

Chapter 7 takes 210 pages of a total of 245 pages of the book. Herein otoliths of 330 species are described, a hundred of which are fossils. Each species is described in a lock-step order of sub-items: name – figure – diagnosis – description – ontogeny and variability – discussion – species and distribution. This makes it easy to make crosschecks from one to the other species.

Figures show the otoliths from at least three different views. It must be admitted that drawings of biological objects always include interpretations of the artist. Since figures were drawn by the author, the methodical uniformity imparts to the Catalogue a special quality.

Considering all, the Piscium Catalogus must be called a reference-book, and consequently you will find it mainly on the fish-book shelves in libraries. The book-cover is sufficiently resistant against

frequent leafing without ending in flying pages; so it has good chances to last for decades. The Catalogue has a good chance to become named »The Schwarzhans« one day.

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