The Plagiostomia: Sharks, Skates, and Rays

CA: Benthic Press, Los Angeles, 1997; (1913). Reprint. Large quarto; 515 pages, 75 leaves of b&w plates: scientific illustrations; 29 cm Near fine(+) with minor abrasion and rubbing to cloth upper outer top edge of front board' else as new. . Hardcover. ISBN: 9780965712101, 0965712109

Samuel Garman (1843–1927) was an American zoologist closely associated with Harvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology and best known for his systematic work on fishes and reptiles. His book Plagiostomia, originally published in 1913 as a monographic contribution to the Memoirs of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, is a foundational study of cartilaginous fishes—sharks, rays, skates, and chimaeras—grouped under what was then the widely used term “Plagiostomi.” Drawing on extensive museum collections and first-hand examination, Garman combined meticulous anatomical description with comparative morphology, detailed illustrations, and taxonomic synthesis. While later systematics has revised both terminology and phylogenetic relationships, Plagiostomia remains historically significant as one of the last great pre-cladistic syntheses of elasmobranch diversity and a benchmark of early twentieth-century American ichthyology. | **Somewhat heavy item. Additional shipping fees may be requested for expedited, priority, or international orders.**