More Must-Read Fish ID Books

Continuing on where we left off last issue, here are more of our recommended ID books to add to your reference library. You can find longer descriptions of these and our other top picks at www.undercurrent.org.

Buy these from Undercurrent by going to the book page on www.undercurrent.org. You’ll get them for the price currently listed on Amazon.com, although they are subject to change. All the profits from book sales go directly to programs that are saving coral reefs.

The Indo-Pacific

Reef Fish Identification: Tropical Pacific, by Gerald Allen, Rodger Steene, Paul Humann and Ned Deloach. At last, a comprehensive fish ID guide covering the reefs of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. A display of 2,500 underwater photographs of 2,000 species identifies the myriad fishes that inhabit the warm tropical seas between Thailand and Tahiti. Text for each species’ portrait includes the fish’s common, scientific and family names, size, description, visually distinctive features, preferred habitat, typical behavior, depth range, and geographical distribution. An essential book for every diver traveling westward. Paperback, 6 x 9 inches, 457 pages, $45.

A Diver’s Guide to Underwater Malaysia Macrolife, by Andrea and Antonella Ferrari. The Ferraris photograph and describe 600 different species in full detail, focusing on those in the South China, Sulu, and Sulawesi seas. The range spans from colorful nudibranchs, cleaner shrimps and pipe fish, to larger species like cuttlefish and clown fish. Each description offers insight on distribution, habitat, size, life habits, and underwater photo tips. With more than 800 extraordinary color photographs and a clear, concise, informative writing style, this book is both a macro and fish field guide for all serious divers from the Maldives to Australia. Paperback, 6.5 x 6.8 inches, 468 pages, $45.

Coral Reef Animals of the Indo-Pacific, by Terrence M. Gosliner, David W. Behrens and Gary C. Williams. This indispensable guide, with good notes and color photos of 1,100 species, will help you find and identify the uncountable variety of weird critters you’ll see on any Indo-Pacific dive. Scores of flatworms, nudibranchs galore, bumblebee shrimp, painted crayfish, pom-pom crabs, side-gilled sea slugs, and endless corals The authors, all marine biologists, cover reefs from the Solomons to Sipadan, the Maldives to Maui, and Palau to Papua New Guinea. Paperback, 8 x 10 inches, 288 pages, $45.

Worldwide

World Atlas of Coral Reefs, by Mark D. Spalding, Corinna Ravilious and Edmund P. Green. Prepared by the United Nations World Conservation Monitoring Center, this reference has everything you want to know about reefs from Costa Rica and Cuba to the Coral Sea and Cayman. The information is specific and up-to-date, and the photos, maps and layout are superb. Hardcover, 8.5 x 12 inches, 416 pages, $38.50

A Diver’s Guide to Fish Life, by Andrea and Antonella Ferrari. The newest addition to our must-have list, this colorful reference guide introduced last year has 1,300 excellent color photographs of tropical marine species in reefs worldwide. The authors, married marine photographers, also give tips for better underwater photos. Hardcover, 6.5 x 7 inches, 416 pages. $55.