Fish Resources
Fish Identification Guides
The majority of field or identification guides to fishes are only in print with just a few available for online licensing. Below are a few of the online options. For locating the print field guides, search the UC Davis Library Catalog using the following useful subject headings:
- Fishes - California
- Marine fishes - identification
- Freshwater fishes - identification
- Rays (fishes) - identification
- (Subject) Fishes AND (Subject) Field Guides
As is seen above, field guides often have the Subject subheading/subcategory of “identification” which can be combined with a subject term you are interested in such as “fish*”.
An excellent field guide series for California is published by the University of California Press and called the “California Natural History Guides” series.
Search by title for “California Natural History Guides” to view this series in the UC Davis Library Catalog:
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UC Library Search
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- Guide to the Coastal Marine Fishes of CaliforniaExcellent line drawings for morphological identification of various families of California coastal marine fishes.
- Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes2006. Samuel M. McGinnis et al. “ … the only field guide to all of California's 130 freshwater fish species, both native and introduced. Revised and updated throughout, the guide now features the only complete collection of color illustrations of California freshwater fishes available anywhere. These color illustrations, coupled with a set of highly detailed black-and-white drawings, provide a quick and easy method for identifying fish in the field. Detailed natural history accounts for each species give a wealth of information, including the current endangered or threatened status of many native species.“
- Fishes2014. Philip A. Hastings et al. “There are more than 33,000 species of living fishes, accounting for more than half of the extant vertebrate diversity on Earth. This unique and comprehensive reference showcases the basic anatomy and diversity of all 82 orders of fishes and more than 150 of the most commonly encountered families, focusing on their distinctive features. Accurate identification of each group, including its distinguishing characteristics, is supported with clear photographs of preserved specimens, primarily from the archives of the Marine Vertebrate Collection at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. This diagnostic information is supplemented by radiographs, additional illustrations of particularly diverse lineages, and key references and ecological information for each group. An ideal companion to primary ichthyology texts, Fishes: A Guide to Their Diversity gives a broad overview of fish morphology arranged in a modern classification system for students, fisheries scientists, marine biologists, vertebrate zoologists, and everyday naturalists. This survey of the most speciose group of vertebrates on Earth will expand the appreciation of and interest in the amazing diversity of fishes.”
- Fishes of the World2016 (5th ed.) Joseph S. Nelson et al This work is noted as “the only modern, phylogenetically based classification of the world’s fishes. The updated text offers new phylogenetic diagrams that clarify the relationships among fish groups, as well as cutting-edge global knowledge that brings this classic reference up to date. With this resource, you can classify orders, families, and genera of fishes, understand the connections among fish groups, organize fishes in their evolutionary context, and imagine new areas of research. To further assist your work, this text provides representative drawings, many of them new, for most families of fishes, allowing you to make visual connections to the information as you read. It also contains many references to the classical as well as the most up-to-date literature on fish relationships, based on both morphology and molecular biology. … With more than 30,000 known species of sharks, rays, and bony fishes, both lobe-finned and ray-finned, … This text will help you: Explore the anatomical characteristics, distribution, common and scientific names, and phylogenetic relationships of fishes; Access biological and anatomical information on more than 515 families of living fishes; Better appreciate the complexities and controversies behind the modern view of fish relationships; Refer to an extensive bibliography … ”
- Guide to the Manta and Devil Rays of the World2018. Guy Stevens et al. “Manta and devil rays are some of the most intriguing creatures in the ocean. Driven forward by powerful beats of wing-like pectoral fins, these filter feeders search the waters for prey, their horn-like head fins giving rise to ancient mariners' tales of fearsome devilfish dragging boats into the ocean depths.”
Additional Key Fish Resources
- California Fish WebsiteProvided by UC ANR (Agriculture and Natural Resources). Portal to UC researchers, centers and research groups including: Center for Aquatic Biology & Aquaculture; California Fish Photo Library; and California Freshwater Fish Laboratory.
- Fish: An Enthusiast’s Guide2006. Peter B. Moyle. This book by retired UCD faculty member Dr. Moyle “… bridges the gap between purely pictorial books and scholarly texts, and provides a succinct summary of fish biology and conservation for students and fish enthusiasts.”
- The Diversity of Fishes: Biology, Evolution, and Ecology2009 (2nd ed.) Helfman, Gene, et al, editors. NOTE: there are three single-use online copies licensed for three simultaneous users. When you are finished with using the online copy, please do log out to free up access for another user.
“The second edition of The Diversity of Fishes represents a major revision of the world's most widely adopted ichthyology textbook. Expanded and updated, the second edition is illustrated throughout with striking color photographs depicting the spectacular evolutionary adaptations of the most ecologically and taxonomically diverse vertebrate group. The text incorporates the latest advances in the biology of fishes, covering taxonomy, anatomy, physiology, biogeography, ecology, and behavior. A new chapter on genetics and molecular ecology of fishes has been added, and conservation is emphasized throughout. Hundreds of new and redrawn illustrations augment readable text, and every chapter has been revised to reflect the discoveries and greater understanding achieved during the past decade.“ - Fishes: the Animal Answer Guide2011. Gene S. Helfman et al. “One fish, two fish, red fish, nearly thirty thousand species of fish--or fishes, as they are properly called when speaking of multiple species. This is but one of many things the authors of this fascinatingly informative book reveal in answering common and not-so-common questions about this ubiquitous group of animals. Fishes range in size from tiny gobies to the massive Ocean Sunfish, which weighs thousands of pounds. They live in just about every body of water on the planet. Ichthyologists Gene Helfman and Bruce Collette provide accurate, entertaining, and sometimes surprising answers to over 100 questions about these water dwellers, such as "How many kinds of fishes are there?" "Can fishes breathe air?" "How smart are fishes?" and "Do fishes feel pain?" They explain how bony fishes evolved, the relationship between them and sharks, and why there is so much color variation among species. Along the way we also learn about the Devils Hole Pupfish, which has the smallest range of any vertebrate in the world; "Lota lota," the only freshwater fish to spawn under ice; the Candiru, a pencil-thin Amazonian catfish that lodges itself in a very personal place on male bathers and must be removed surgically; and many other curiosities. With more than 100 photographs--including two full-color photo galleries--and the most up-to-date facts on the world's fishes from two premier experts, this fun book is the perfect bait for any curious naturalist, angler, or aquarist.”
Fish-related Databases
Use FishBase to help determine the scientific name of your organism or to explore a family of fishes to pick a particular species. Library literature databases for fish biology/conservation range from databases strictly about fish/aquatic animals (ASFA, Fish/Fisheries & Aquatic Biodiversity), to very broad databases which include ecological or animal behavior literature (BIOSIS Previews & PsycINFO), to specialized databases concerning wildlife (Zoological Record and Wildlife & Ecology Studies Worldwide).
Searching for a fish species requires that one use both the common name and the scientific name. It is possible that the genus may have changed so keep in mind that the same animal may have a different genus name in the older literature.
For example, the best search for coho would be the following:
“Coho Salmon*” OR “Oncorhynchus kisutch*”
- FishBase: A Global Information System on Fishes This link opens in a new windowRelational database on fish from around the world including information on: taxonomy, synonym tables, average sizes and weights, environment, climate, importance, resilience, distribution, diagnosis, biology, Red list status, life history, reproduction, ecology, genetics, illustrations, photographs and much more. Developed at the WorldFish Center in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and many other partners, and with support from the European Commission (EC).
- Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA) This link opens in a new window
This link opens in a new window
UCD's most important database on the biology, ecology, technology and management of marine, freshwater, and brackish water environments and organisms. Database consists of the following subfiles: ASFA 1: Biological Sciences and Living Resources; ASFA 2: Ocean Technology, Policy and Non-Living Resources; ASFA 3: Aquatic Pollution and Environmental Quality; ASFA Aquaculture Abstracts; and ASFA Marine Biotechnology Abstracts.
[Coverage: 1971-present; varies by subfile,earlier for selected core titles] - Fish, Fisheries & Aquatic Biodiversity Worldwide This link opens in a new windowMerged content from thirteen databases including records from the now ceased database Aquatic Biology, Aquaculture, & Fisheries Resources (ABAFR), and from FISHLIT, Aquatic Biology Citations (ABC), the Fishing Industry Research Index (FIRI), Fisheries Review, and a database from the Worldfish Center's Library. Database producer from South Africa -- excellent coverage of African publications.
[Coverage: 1971-present]
