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.
