Coral Reef Fishes: Caribbean, Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean, Including the Red Sea Book

"I have used this book for identifying fishes I have seen underwater. It is one of the best for this purpose since it is handy and comprehensive, containing all likely coral reef fishes in the Caribbean and Indo-Pacific. Most other books contain only a subset. In addition, this guide provides clues for quick and proper identification."--Rainer Froese, Senior Scientist, International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management (ICLARM), Philippines

This is a handy guide to all fishes that are likely to be observed by anybody visiting or diving on the coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific and the western Atlantic Oceans to a depth of sixty meters. Accessible to amateur marine life enthusiasts, this book is the first comprehensive guide of its kind. It enables the reader quickly to identify 2,074 species of fish and includes over 2,500 color illustrations depicting the major forms of each species--male, female, immature, or geographical varieties.

Here coral reef is used broadly to include areas adjacent to reefs where corals may occur, such as harbors, bays, and rocky tidepools as well as reef-associated habitats such as seagrass beds, sandy expanses, and open rocky bottoms. The text begins with a valuable introduction to such topics as the coral reef environment, habitats, ecology, social interactions, conservation, and dangerous marine fishes. Of particular interest is a section offering pointers on identifying fish. The text proceeds according to region, depicting each species and its varieties, and offering information on its geographic range and where on the coral reef itself the fish may be found. Important identification characteristics are highlighted on every color plate.