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

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 & 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 & 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, & rocky tidepools as well as reef-associated habitats such as seagrass beds, sandy expanses, & open rocky bottoms. The text begins with a valuable introduction to such topics as the coral reef environment, habitats, ecology, social interactions, conservation, & dangerous marine fishes. Of particular interest is a section offering pointers on identifying fish. The text proceeds according to region, depicting each species & its varieties, & offering information on its geographic range & where on the coral reef itself the fish may be found. Important identification characteristics are highlighted on every color plate.Lieske, Ewald is the author of 'Coral Reef Fishes : Caribbean, Indian Ocean, and Pacific Ocean : Including the Red Sea' with ISBN 9780691004815 and ISBN 0691004811.