Micronesian Reef Fishes: A Field Guide for Divers and Aquarists [Paperback]

Robert F. Myers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1999

This field guide covers 1,192 species. The best guide to the fishes of this region available.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert F. Myers was born in Leesburg, VA in 1953. As the son of a Department of Defense linguist, he spent most of his childhood overseas where he developed an intense interest in the terrestrial and aquatic animals of each post. His first two years of high school were spent in Hong Kong, living a few blocks from the beach at Repulse Bay where he took up skin diving and kept his first marine aquarium. After college, he transfered to the University of Hawaii in order to study coral reef fishes in their own environment. While there, he took up underwater photography, becoming actively involved in local dive clubs. He graduated in 1975 with a BA in zoology. As an undergraduate, he surveyed populations of fishes around Oahu, collected moray eels and sharks at Johnston Atoll, and assisted in the collection of potentially toxic fishes at Enewetak Atoll. In l977 he moved to Guam to pursue graduate studies at the University of Guam Marine Laboratory. There he divided his time between studies, underwater photography, and employment before earning an MS in biology in 1984. In 1981 he founded Coral Graphics and from 1982 to 1995 he worked as a fisheries biologist for the Government of Guam. He retired on 1995 to pursue photography, writing, research, and consulting.

Product Details

• Paperback: 408 pages
• Publisher: Coral Graphics; 1 edition (June 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0962156442
• ISBN-13: 978-0962156441
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,106,273 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #84 in Books > Science & Math > Nature & Ecology > Field Guides > Fish

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An amazingly comprehensive and detailed guide, January 20, 2000

By 

John Hoover (Honolulu, Hawaii) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Micronesian Reef Fishes: A Field Guide for Divers and Aquarists (Paperback)

The author (a diver/photographer/biologist living in Guam) has scoured the scientific literature and distilled the essential facts about each species into this amazingly comprehensive guide. Color plates, drawings, tables and a concise paragraph describing each fish and its behavior make it an essential reference for divers and scientists almost anywhere in the tropical Indo-Pacific, not only Micronesia. The care and love of detail that have gone into this work are unsurpassed. The only work comparing with it in scope is the massive Smith's Sea Fishes (limited to the fishes of South Africa). Of the two, this may be the better if only because of its handy size and copious underwater photographs.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Differences between the hardcover and softcover editions, July 3, 2002

By 

fishonareef (Kihei, HI United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Micronesian Reef Fishes: A Field Guide for Divers and Aquarists (Paperback)

I would just like to comment that the differences between the softcover and hardcover editions needs to be described in the advertisement. The hardcover edition is comprehensive, covering "every known shorefish from the region" as well as a detailed descriptive (i.e. measurements and counts, line drawings, keys, synonyms, etc.) that may be of more interest to the marine biologist or fish fanatic. The softcover is an abridged version with a re-written text, suitable as a field guide for divers and aquarists. Both have the same color section (the text section is separate from the photos). The content is excellent in the softcover; however, I will be returning it for the hardcover since it contains the kind of information I am interested in attaining.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE definitive work, September 19, 2000

By 

Bill Acker (Yap, FSM Micronesia, Federated States of) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Micronesian Reef Fishes: A Comprehensive Guide to the Coral Reef Fishes of Micronesia (Hardcover)

I make my living taking people scuba diving in Micronesia. At Yap Divers, we reference Myers' book daily. This is the definitive fish book on Micronesia and belongs in any serious libarary.