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INTRODUCTION
The object of this booklet is to help the angler to identify the fishes
he is likely to catch in Irish waters. Most of the species which have
been taken on rod and line on the Irish coast or in Irish lakes andrivers
are illustrated and briefly described. Also included are
(a) a few species not usually
caught on rod and line, but which the angler may encounter and
(b)
a few species which have, not yet been recorded from Irish waters,
but which may occasionally visit them. Fig. 1 shows the chief external
features of five species of fish of divergent types.
The external features important in the identification of fishes are
in the main (1) general form (2) presence of gill slits or a gill
cover (3) number, position and shape of the fins (4) number of spines
or soft jointed rays in the fins (sometimes written in formula) (5)
nature of the scales (6) nature of the teeth (in certain families)
Too much reliance cannot be placed on size (one may be dealing with
a young example of a species which grows to a large size) or colour,
since this is subject to considerable variation in some species.
Note:
Fin Ray counts in this booklet are written in formula. D = dorsal
fin A = anal fin Spiny fin rays indicated by Roman numerals; soft
fin rays by Arabic numerals. In this guide the following annotations
are used; M=marine fish; F=freshwater fish; B=brackish water fish.
Indicated sizes are usually the approximate maximum the species has
been known to attain. |
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