SEAHORSES and their Relatives

Fishes of the order Syngnathiformes, collectively known as syngnathids, are amongst the most unfish-like of all fishes. Appearances of many is often bizarre and species such as the Leafy Seadragon are outright spectacular.
Their names speak for themselves: seahorses, seadragons, pipehorses, pipefishes, bellowfishes, flutemouths, trumpetfishes, and seamoths, relating to their unusual appearance, in particular to their body or head shape and their long tubular snout.

Seahorses with their vertical posture and bend-down head are by far the best known and popular. Therefore they are comprehensively covered in this book, and included for this group are special chapters on their origin, evolution, world distribution, aquaculture of species for the aquarium trade, why such a trade, and how well they are really doing in the wild and the myth about them being threatened.

Also presented here are all the other known syngnathid members, as well as closely related families including all ghost pipefishes, seamoths, and representatives of others.

Included inside:
- Detailed information on over 370 different species of the world, including new and recently discovered species.
- More than 1200 spectacular color photographs, most of which taken in the wild.
- All the known living seahorses illustrated together for the first time.... about 80 species.
- Introduction to genera and subgenera.
- Informative text for each species.
- A single full index of common and scientific names of genera and species.
- Aquaculturing seahorses.
- Hardcover, 334 pages, large format 11x8x1 inches.