Freshwater fish AIDGAP
Freshwater fish AIDGAP is an identification guide to the freshwater fishes and lampreys of Britain and Ireland.
- Enables identification of living specimens
- Illustrated with line drawings throughout
The guide is useful to anybody with an interest in fish, ranging from research to recreational angling. This guide will enable non-specialists to identify all 42 species of bony fishes that breed in freshwaters in Britain and Ireland. 12 of these species are established exotics, such as carp, bitterling and zander. Some were originally food fish, while others are ornamental species. In addition the guide includes the 3 species of lampreys. Although lampreys are not true fishes, they are sometimes mistaken for them.
The introductory key distinguishes the major groups, such as eels, loaches, salmonids, shads and sticklebacks. Further more detailed keys enable identification of individual species. There are brief notes on hybridisation within the carp family. As well as traditional dichotomous keys, the guide includes concise notes on the ecology and distribution of each species.
This guide is part of Field Studies Council’s AIDGAP series (Aids to Identification in Difficult Groups of Animals and Plants). Our AIDGAP guides are accessible identification keys, suitable for non-specialists from age 16+. As with all guides in the series, this guide underwent extensive testing before publication, by beginners and specialists alike. The author revised the key in the light of the testers’ experience.
