This
book reviews and summarizes the studies on the fish diversity of Japan. It
covers the present knowledge of ichthyofauna, habitat distribution,
phylogeography, ecology, morphology, and conservation, as well as the history
of ichthyology and fish collections in Japan. The book comprises five parts: I.
Fish Diversity and Ichthyology of Japan, II. Habitat Distribution and Species
Diversity, III. Diversity within Species: Phylogeographic Perspective on
Japanese Fishes, IV. Morphological and Ecological Diversifications, and V.
Conservation of Fish Diversity in Japan.
The
Japanese Archipelago is surrounded by two major warm and one cold currents. It
is located in the western North Pacific and encompasses several climatic
regimes from north to south. Although the land area of Japan is small, the
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Japan ranks as the sixth-largest in the world,
including several marginal seas (the Sea of Okhotsk, Sea of Japan, and the East
China Sea), and deep trenches (Izu-Ogasawara, Japan, and Kurile Trenches).
Owing to a variety of marine habitats and complex geological history, Japan has
a rich fish species diversity, representing over 4,500 species in 370 families.
The richness of fish species diversity has attracted many scientists since the
late 1700s, and continuous studies have led to the development of ichthyology
in Japan. With chapters written by leading experts in the field, the book will
provide a stimulating and reliable resource for future research and contribute
to the progress of the ichthyology of the world.