An Atlas of Illinois Fishes: 150 Years of Change - Hardcover

by Brian A. Metzke (Author), Brooks M. Burr (Author), Leon C. Hinz Jr (Author)

Lake Michigan, winding creeks, sprawling swamps, and one of the world's great rivers--Illinois's variety of aquatic habitats makes the Prairie State home to a diverse array of fishes. The first book of its kind in over forty years, An Atlas of Illinois Fishes is a combination of nature guide and natural history. It provides readers with an authoritative resource based on the extensive biological data collected by scientists since the mid-1850s. Each of the entries on Illinois's 217 current and extirpated fish species offers one or more color photographs; maps depicting distributions at three time periods; descriptions of identifying features; notes on habitat preference; and comments on distribution. In addition, the authors provide a pictorial key for identifying Illinois fishes.

Scientifically up-to-date and illustrated with over 240 color photos, An Atlas of Illinois Fishes is a benchmark in the study of Illinois's ever-changing fish communities and the habitats that support them.

Author Biography

Brian A. Metzke is State Aquatic Ecologist for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Brooks M. Burr is Emeritus Professor of Zoology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale and a coeditor of Freshwater Fishes of North America. Leon C. Hinz Jr. is the Wildlife Action Plan Coordinator for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Lawrence M. Page is Curator of Fishes at the Florida Museum of Natural History. He is coauthor of Peterson Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes of North America North of Mexico. Christopher A. Taylor is an aquatic biologist and Curator of Fishes and Crustaceans with the Illinois Natural History Survey at the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.