Fishes and Other Marine Animals of the Maltese Islands
by Mark Anthony Falzon and Patrick Joseph Schembri
published by BDL
Quite often I am asked by students and members of the public to recommend a handbook on local marine creatures, particularly one that has good illustrations and readily understandable notes.
My response has mostly been that while there are some guides to local marine species, most deal with the fish fauna, and their appropriateness as a handbook for species identification and to gain basic knowledge of their ecology is limited. In the case of handbooks on local marine invertebrate fauna, the paucity is even greater. The recently published handbook by Mark A. Falzon and Patrick J. Schembri ‒ Fishes and Other Marine Animals of the Maltese Islands ‒ changes this.
Falzon and Schembri provide a guide that covers the common fish and invertebrate species one may encounter in coastal waters around the Maltese islands. Their book is written in a style that is easily understood by the public but is also very useful for students interested in marine biology.
The publication has excellent photographs and illustrations of around 117 fishes and 51 invertebrates that occur in Maltese coastal waters. It provides concise and very useful notes on the ecology, protection status and other pertinent information (such as the common name) for each species covered, and its convenient size makes it an easily transportable handbook.
Apart from the species information, Falzon and Schembri’s book presents a brief historical overview of the study of marine life in the Maltese islands. This is followed by information on local marine habitats and a section that clearly indicates the target audience, how the book should be used and how one can observe marine life.
A brief explanation on the nomenclature of species precedes the main section that covers the various fishes and invertebrates.
The book’s foreword has been written by Edwin Lanfranco, who in the past has served as mentor for both authors. I cannot agree more with Edwin’s concluding sentence in his foreword: “This book is a must for all those who are fascinated by the richness of marine life”!