Volume 40 Published on 31 July 1999
The purpose of the present book consists of a detailed synthesis of all available information on the distribution of marine and freshwater Crustacea Decapoda of the area delimited as follows : 90° N (northern limit), 25°N (southern limit), 35°W (western limit), 60°E (eastern limit), Suez canal included, Red Sea and Persian Gulf excluded.The book comprises an historical review of litterature, a chapter on biogeography and related subjects, a list of alien species, a discussion on the endangered species and the factors of regression, an annoted checklist, a thematic and geographic index, and an extensive bibliography (approximately 2 000 references). For some 800 species and subspecies studied, information is given on their general distribution (with more detail for the specific area considered here), their habitat and their bathymetry. In every case the origin of the information is indicated in the annoted checklist. The original description of every species of the area studied is listed in the bibliography. Various unsolved taxonomical problems are pointed out in order to stimulate relevant studies. For some species, publications that include descriptions or illustrations are indicated (particularly for the species not described in standard books on European decapods).
