Cambridge Scholars Publishing A Guide to, and Checklist for, the Decapoda of Namibia, South Africa and Mozambique (Volume 2)

Decapods are a culmination of nearly 600 million years of Crustacean evolution, during which time they have radiated into a variety of superfamilies, families, genera and species which occupy a variety of niches from fresh mountain streams to the abysses of the oceans. This book will fill a gap in the current literature on southern African decapods. Since Barnard published his Descriptive Catalogue of South African Decapod Crustacea in 1950, there have been numerous additions and name changes. This publication updates the taxonomy, and includes ecological and fisheries information. In addition, Kensley’s (1981) distributional checklist for the region has been updated and includes large numbers of new species and records for the region, bringing the total number of decapod to over 1000 species. Although not exhaustive, 262 species are featured, some of which are beautiful, some have commercial or artisinal value, both for consumption and the aquarium, and some have important ecological functions, while others are rare or interesting. For each species there is a photograph, synonymies, common names, a description, ecological information and name derivation (etymology). All the decapod families found in South Africa are described, some new, along with chapters on decapod research history in southern Africa, commercial and artisinal food value of decapods, biodiversity and future research direction. The book is arranged systematically, as taxonomy is based on phylogeny, starting with the earliest forms and progressing to the most derived and advanced forms, and will serve to stimulate interest and future research into southern Africa’s rich decapod biodiversity, especially at a time when biodiversity itself is threatened by global warming, coral bleaching and habitat loss. It will appeal to people interested in Decapoda, including academics, scholars, students, fishermen, aquarists, aquaculturists, recreational snorkel and SCUBA divers, as well as those interested in conservation, biodiversity, management and governance. Review "Winston Emmerson – ‘Winks’ to his friends – has had a longstanding love affair with the decapods of southern Africa, and this has now reached fruition in this longawaited publication reviewing the group. Two words jump to mind: ‘magnum opus’ – for this is indeed a culmination of Winks’ passion. [...] None of the earlier reviews of our decapod fauna provides that kind of indepth information. In this sense, the book is a gold mine of information. I am quite sure that I will be burrowing into the volumes for years without exhausting their rewards."George M BranchDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Cape TownAfrican Journal of Marine Science, 38:4 (2016)"The whole three-volume work runs to more than 1,800 pages and is extremely detailed ... in respect of those taxa treated. There is thus no doubt that these volumes constitute a massive advance and provide an essential resource for academic libraries and taxonomic specialists. In particular, the literature of the past generation is synthesised, providing an updated platform from which new research into the taxonomy and biology of this important group can move forward."Charles L GriffithsUniversity of Cape TownAfrican Journal of Aquatic Science, 41:4 (2016)"These three volumes represent a monumental contribution to our understanding of the decapod fauna of southern Africa. Within its nearly 2000 pages, Emmerson has compiled clearly written and beautifully illustrated systematic, ecologic, phylogenetic, and commercial data on species within all known families from the area. The work is grounded in Emmerson’s personal research in the area and is reinforced by 229 pages of references. As such, it updates and expands upon the 66 year-old classic work of K. H. Barnard, and expands other previous works by including deep sea and fresh water occurrences. The comprehensive treatment of families in the region as well as