Cephalopods of Australia and Sub-Antarctic Territories

About this book

Australian waters contain the highest diversity of cephalopods (squid, cuttlefish and octopus) found anywhere in the world. They are highly significant ecologically, both as top-level predators and as prey for numerous vertebrates, including fishes, seals, cetaceans and seabirds. Cephalopods of Australia and Sub-Antarctic Territories is a comprehensive guide covering 226 species, which represent over a quarter of the world's cephalopod fauna. With an emphasis on identification, this book includes keys, species descriptions, full-colour illustrations and distribution maps, as well as a summary of the biology and behaviour of cephalopods and fisheries information. This is an invaluable tool for researchers and fisheries experts as well as amateur naturalists, fishers and divers.

Contents

Acknowledgements
Introduction
Glossary
General biology
Class Cephalopoda
Order Nautilida
Order Bathyteuthida
Order Idiosepiida
Order Myopsida
Order Oegopsida
Order Sepiida
Order Sepiolida
Order Spirulida
Order Octopoda
Order Vampyromorphida
Appendix A. Institutional acronyms
Appendix B. Fixation and preservation methods
Appendix C. Australian cephalopod checklist
References
Index

Customer Reviews

Biography

Dr Amanda Reid is a taxonomist with a particular interest in the Sepiida (cuttlefishes) and the Sepiolida (which includes the bottletail squids and their relatives). She earned a PhD from Macquarie University in Sydney and first developed an interest in the undersea world while working on polychaete worms at the Australian Museum, where she is currently Collection Manager in Malacology. She has also worked on a completely unrelated but fascinating group of terrestrial animals, the Onychophora (velvet worms).