Customer Reviews

Anatomy and Systematics of Bagridae Teleostei and Siluroid Phylogeny

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This monograph is both the last word in the field, and the holy grail. Sadly, it is nearly unobtainable, which is why it is often missing from the library stacks of those libraries that do have the few remaining copies. But Mo's "Anatomy" is worth the search, and those leaders in catfish phylogeny who continue to selectively cite the work in caution have well served their disciples. For it is not for neophytes or acolytes, but only those who have masterd a chain of fundamentals. Of course, modern readers would appreciate the advances that publishing now has since this first appeared in 1991, particularly in a more usefull layout with a richness of text and finer illustrations. The absence of detail in the hard gills of the famous "walking catfish" of Southeast Asia and South Florida is an example. Nevertheless, of its age, this classic remains what it is: difficult, unobtainable, but the journey towards mastering the subject is enlightenment itself.

Whilst not an ideal introductory text, this monograph is a thorough treatment of a potentially confusing subject. I am a little disappointed with the number and quality of the pictures.