Book Review Accurate Taxonomical Identification of Fish Eggs and Larvae in Taiwan Waters

Book Review Accurate Taxonomical Identification of Fish Eggs and Larvae in Taiwan Waters

Traditionally, the classification of fish is mainly based on the body color, appearance and shape of adult fish individuals, such as the number of hard and soft spines on the dorsal fin, pectoral fin, pelvic fin, caudal fin, and many skeletal characteristics as the basis for classification. However, for fertilized eggs, i.e., embryos, larvae and juveniles, the above-mentioned identification methods based on morphological and qualitative characteristics are invalid, because fish eggs, larvae and juveniles have to go through a process of metamorphosis, and their morphological and qualitative characteristics will change accordingly and therefore its morphology features are quite different from those of adult fish. Therefore, how to identify the species of fish eggs, larvae, and juveniles is a very tricky task. Even so, researchers have long tried to use various methods to provide useful criteria for identifying fish eggs, larvae, and juvenile fish species.