From reviews of Volume 1: "[This] book is, by far, the best and most complete reference on Gulf of Mexico fishes to date. With the completion of a second volume, it will stand as the benchmark for this region for many years to come.... This reference is a must for anyone working with Gulf of Mexico fishes."-- Quarterly Review of Biology"At long last, the definitive guide to the fishes of the Gulf of Mexico has arrived.... It should be considered an essential addition to libraries at marine labs, natural history museums, fish collections, consulting firms, and any teaching or research facility or vessel where there is a need to identify fishes from the Gulf of Mexico. Without doubt, there will be many ichthyologists, fishery biologists, and other marine scientists and technicians eagerly awaiting the arrival of Volume 2."-- Copeia

This book is the second of two volumes that cover the entire fish fauna of the Gulf of Mexico. It includes the orders Scorpaeniformes, Perciformes, Pleuronectiformes, and Tetraodontiformes. Keys and descriptions are provided for the families, which are arranged phylogenetically, and for the species, which are arranged alphabetically, described (including distribution and life history), and distinguished from similar species. All but a few species are illustrated. The volume also includes a biogeographical synopsis of the fishes of the Gulf of Mexico.

"This work is unique and especially important because it brings together, for the first time, information on the entire fish fauna of the Gulf of Mexico. Other volumes cover only subsets of Gulf fishes....This represents the most complete survey of the ichthyofauna of the Gulf of Mexico ever compiled." -- Philip A. Hastings, Research Scientist and Curator of Fishes and Invertebrates, University of Arizona

The Gulf of Mexico is the ninth largest body of water in the world and contains over 15 percent of all known species of marine fishes. This diverse fish fauna has been the subject of many publications, but, until now, no work has ever surveyed all known species, including the deep sea fishes and those of the southern Gulf.

This book is the first of two volumes that will cover the entire fish fauna of the Gulf of Mexico. An introductory section that outlines the Gulf's geographical setting, geological origin, current patterns, tides, sediments, meteorology, ecology, and biological exploration is followed by a key for the forty-four orders of fishes known from the Gulf. Keys and descriptions are provided for families, which are arranged phylogenetically, and for the species, which are arranged alphabetically, described, and distinguished from similar species. All but a few species are illustrated.

Volume 2 is tentatively scheduled for publication in early 2006.