Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1999. - 279 pages.
With more than 500 species described and more than 400 illustrations, this guide provides quick and easy visual identification of fishes, mollusks, sponges, shrimps, lobsters, crabs, and much more of the fauna found on the coral reefs of the Caribbean and Florida.
Editor's Note
Look beyond the scrubby groves of West Indian hardwoods and the palms; look beyond the dunes, the beach grass, and the broad sandy beaches to the sea. There, under the clear blue water and the white breakers, exists another world, the coral reef, a vastly different world that anyone can explore by simply donning a snorkel, face mask, and flippers.
As in the terrestrial tropics and subtropics there is infinite variety here. On the reefs, birds and butterflies are replaced by fish, some as brightly colored as any of the winged creatures in the Amazon River basin. Others are as dull and well camouflaged as the residents of the jungle floor. Corals, sponges, and anemones excite our curiosity, while shrimps, lobsters, crabs, sea urchins, sea stars, and other bizarre creatures compete for our attention.
With more than 500 species described and more than 400 illustrations, this guide provides quick and easy visual identification of fishes, mollusks, sponges, shrimps, lobsters, crabs, and much more of the fauna found on the coral reefs of the Caribbean and Florida.
Editor's Note
Look beyond the scrubby groves of West Indian hardwoods and the palms; look beyond the dunes, the beach grass, and the broad sandy beaches to the sea. There, under the clear blue water and the white breakers, exists another world, the coral reef, a vastly different world that anyone can explore by simply donning a snorkel, face mask, and flippers.
As in the terrestrial tropics and subtropics there is infinite variety here. On the reefs, birds and butterflies are replaced by fish, some as brightly colored as any of the winged creatures in the Amazon River basin. Others are as dull and well camouflaged as the residents of the jungle floor. Corals, sponges, and anemones excite our curiosity, while shrimps, lobsters, crabs, sea urchins, sea stars, and other bizarre creatures compete for our attention.