Books

Allen, Gerald; Steene, Roger; Humann, Paul; and Ned DeLoach. Reef Fish Identification: Tropical Pacific. Monumental volume with over 2000 species of tropical Pacific fishes. Click on title for full review.

DeLoach, Ned. Reef Fish Behavior: Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas. New World Publications, 1999. Excellent book on fish behavior. It covers a wide range of subjects: feeding, camouflage, courtship etc. and covers each group separately. Illustrated with hundreds of colour photos.

Fautin, Dr. Daphne and Allen, Dr. Gerald R. Field Guide to Anemonefishes and their Host Sea Anemones. Western Australian Museum Press, 1997. Winner of the 1993 Whitley Certificate for Best Field Guide. This excellent monograph presents all the known information on this phenomenon, including sea anemone classification and identification, anemonefish classification and identification and color variation, biology of sea anemones, life history of anemonefishes and aquarium care.

Greenberg, Idaz and Jerry. Sharks and Other Dangerous Sea Creatures. Seahawk Press. We weren't going to tell you about this book, but if you want the truth about JAWS!, this one will grab your attention. After all, words will never hurt you. Very good for identification and precaution regarding possibly hazardous marine animals great and small.

Humann, Paul. DeLoach, Ned. Editor. Reef Fish Identification: Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas. New World Publications, 3rd edition, 1996. This book is part of The Reef Set, the premier guide to the underwater world of the Caribbean, Bahamas and Florida Coast. Containing excellent photographs and identifying characteristics, these volumes are the bible for underwater travelers in these warm waters.

Lieske, Ewald and Myers, Robert. Coral Reef Fishes, Caribbean, Indian Ocean, and Pacific Ocean, including the Red Sea. Princeton University Press, 1996. This book attempts to do the impossible: describe every species of fish on coral reefs worldwide, and they get very close. Most fish that can reasonably be seen by recreational divers and snorkelers are listed in this hardcover book. All of them with a clear illustration and description of habitat and range.

Myers, Robert. Micronesian Reef Fishes, A Practical Guide to the Identification of the Coral Reef Fishes of the Tropical Central and Western Pacific. Coral Graphics, Guam. This is a new edition of a classic guidebook describing a total of 1,250 species! (And most marine biologists feel there are still many unknown species lurking in the shallows!) Illustrated by 975 color photographs.

Randall, John. Caribbean Reef Fishes. 2nd edition. T.H.F. Publications. The definitive text on Caribbean fish; Comprehensive, but slightly heavy reading.

Sale, Peter F. Ecology of Fishes on Coral Reefs. Academic Press, 1991. A comprehensive and up-to-date review of the ecology of coral reef fishes presented in twenty chapters by top researchers from North America and Australia. Recommended for those interested in a more technical treatment of this subject. Black-and-white photographs.

Springer, Victor and Gold, Joy. Sharks in Question - The Smithsonian Answer Book. Smithsonian Press, 1989. If you have questions about sharks, this book has answers. Remember, your only chance to see a shark may be in a book.

Stokes, F. Joseph. Divers and Snorkelers Guide to the Fishes and Sea Life of the Caribbean, Florida, Bahamas, and Bermuda. Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences. A small hardcover guide to fishes, one of our favorites. We never leave home without it. Illustrated with drawings and clear basic text. If you are interested in fish identification, this book is highly recommended.

Tinker, Spencer Wilkie. Fishes of Hawaii, a Handbook of the Marine Fishes of Hawaii and the Central Pacific Ocean. Hawaiian Service, Inc. Dealing mostly with Hawaiian fishes, as the title not so subtly implies, this book is also useful for general tropical Pacific fish identification. Illustrated with black-and-white photos, drawings, and 108 color photos.

Wilson, Roberta and Wilson, James Q. Pisces Guide to Watching Fishes - Understanding Coral Reef Fish Behavior. Gulf Publications Co., 1992. A good introduction to ecology, biology and the behavior of coral reef fishes. I've always felt this book was undervalued. It didn't sell well, shifted publishers, and previously suffered from poor distribution. But I like it. The observations are excellent, the text is readable and compelling, and it teaches as much about the process of asking questions as it provides answers.
back to top