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ECOLOGY OF THE MARINE FISHES OF CUBA.
Edited by Rodolfo Claro, Kenyon C. Lindeman, and Lynne R. Parenti.
This book is a completely revised and updated English version of Ecología de Los Peces
Marinos de Cuba edited by Rodolfo Claro and published in Spanish in 1994. Although
the approach and topics treated have been preserved, the presentation style has been
greatly improved, resulting in a book of much better quality that is less than half the size
of the original Spanish version. The book is divided into eight chapters. Chapter one
provides an excellent introduction to the physical characteristics of the coast of Cuba,
complete with maps illustrating the coastline, general circulation patterns, and sediment
and habitat types. Chapter two introduces the diversity and abundance of fishes by
habitat, and includes a reviewed species list for Cuban waters. The next five chapters
comprise the core of the book. They summarize what is known of the behavior (primarily
spatial and temporal activity patterns), reproduction, trophic biology, growth, and
ecophysiology of Cuba's fishes, treating each topic in a separate chapter. Each chapter
typically relies on accounts of well-studied species to illustrate concepts, emphasizing
differences among taxa and habitats. Because of this approach, the book is packed with
data in the form of figures and tables, and most chapters have one or more appendixes
that compile large amounts of supplemental data. The massive amount of data is
undoubtedly one of the book's most appealing features. The final chapter is on historical
trends and the current status of Cuban fisheries, and elaborates on many of the references
to localized over-fishing that are scattered throughout the book.
There are some minor problems. For example, a lack of information on the less
commercially important species makes some chapters biased in their treatment, and some
figures attempt to present too much information making them difficult to understand.
Nonetheless, Ecology of the Marine Fishes of Cuba superbly succeeds in summarizing
the current knowledge on the subject. It brings a relatively poorly known literature to a
broad audience in a highly readable, data-rich account, that promises to become an
indispensable resource for anyone interested in Caribbean ichthyology.
Windsor E. Aguirre. Department of Ecology and Evolution. State University of
New York at Stony Brook. Stony Brook, New York.