Leptocephalus larvae of elopomorph fishes are a cryptic component of fish diversity in nearshore and oceanic habitats. However, identifying those leptocephali can be important in illuminating species richness in a region. Since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, sampling of offshore fishes in the epi-, meso-, and upper bathypelagic depth strata of the northern Gulf of Mexico resulted in 8989 identifiable specimens of leptocephalus larvae or transforming juveniles, in 118 taxa representing 83 recognized and established species and an additional 35 distinctive leptocephalus morphotypes not yet linked to a known described species. Leptocephali account for ∼13% of the total species richness of fishes collected in the offshore region. A new morphotype of Muraenidae leptocephalus is also described. We compare this study with other leptocephalus diversity studies in the western Atlantic.

In this book review of Research for Designers: A Guide to Methods and Practice, I provide a summary of the book’s content and a brief description of each chapter. I also discuss the book’s structure, organization, strengths, and weaknesses. This review concludes with the evaluation that Research for Designers is an excellent resource and practical guide for novice researchers from any academic discipline, but especially so for researchers and practitioners in the design field.

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