Fishes of the World by Joseph S. Nelson is a standard reference for fish systematics. Now in its fourth edition, the work is a comprehensive overview of the 25,000-plus species known to science.
It begins with a general overview of ichthyology, although it is not a self-contained introduction, then after a short section on Chordata and non-fish taxa, the work goes on to list all known fish in a top-down fashion. Each family gets at least a paragraph, and usually a body outline drawing; large families will have subfamilies and tribes described as well. Genera and species are mentioned if they are notable, while the complexities of the higher taxa are described succinctly, with many references to the literature for difficult points.
The third edition (1994) predates the wide use of DNA analysis in taxonomy, and much of its classification has been revised.
The first edition appeared in 1976, the second in 1984, the third in 1994 (John Wiley & Sons, ISBN 0-471-54713-1), the fourth in March 2006 (ISBN 0-471-25031-7).
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