SHARKS, RAYS, AND CHIMAERAS OF CALIFORNIA. David A. Ebert. 2003. University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles. ISBN 0–520–23484. 284 p. $39.95 (cloth), $19.95 (soft cover).—This is a handy little guide to all the cartilaginous fishes of California. The guide covers 68 species known or believed to occur in California waters and is intended for “amateur naturalists, anglers, and divers as well as the professional ichthyologist, and for anyone else with an interest on these fascinating fishes.” It is the only guide dedicated to the cartilaginous fishes of California published in nearly 50 years. It includes more species of cartilaginous fishes and provides far more information, than the excellent Guide to the Marine Fishes of California by Miller and Lea (1972), which has been a standard California guide for decades.
The 46-page introduction provides a good background to the California marine environment and to these fishes. It is...