Descripción

Paris, Société Zoologique de France, 1903 [1904]. Two parts in two. 8vo (25.2 x 16.3 cm). 359 pp. [numbered 41-196, 197-399]; four plates (three in lithography; the fourth in "radiographie" - a fairly early use of x-rays in ichthyology); 42 text illustrations. Uniform printed wrappers. = A detailed, monographic study (including the description and illustration of several new genera and species) of the fish family Cichlidae, a group of extremely variable and often colourful fresh water fishes. It includes the genus Tilapia, and it is famous for a astonishingly diverse radiation and speciation in the great African lakes. Written by the French ichthyologist Jacques Pellegrin (1873-1944). "Pellegrin worked under zoologist Léon Vaillant (chair of reptiles and fishes) at the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle. From 1897, Pellegrin served as préparateur at the museum. He obtained doctorates in medicine (1899) and science (1904), and in 1908 was named as an assistant director. After many missions abroad, he became sub-director of the museum in 1937, and replaced Louis Roule (1861-1942) as the chairperson of herpetology and ichthyology. He published over 600 scientific books and articles and discovered around 350 new species. He named a number of fishes from the family Cichlidae, such as the genera Astatoreochromis, Astatotilapia, Boulengerochromis, Lepidiolamprologus, Nanochromis and Ophthalmotilapia [several in this paper]. Pellegrin fought with the French Resistance during World War II. He was killed by a Wehrmacht soldier using a MG 42 while in his hiding spot." (Wikipedia). One plate shows Röntgen Ray photographs. Published in the society's Mémoires, Volume 16, Parts 1-4. With the issues wrappers. Two entirely unrelated, small papers in Part 1-2 removed. Dean, Bibliography of Fishes, dates this work as from 1904. Dean errs in the number of plates, and in the number of pages. Uncut. Wrappers with wear to the edges and spines, as to be expected; a few leaves with the lower outer corner bumped; otherwise very good, clean and complete. Rare. Dean II, p. 244.