Corals, sponges, bryozoans and sea squirts form a significant part of the biodiversity of a coral reef. Without knowledge of their main features, families and species, a scuba diver, underwater photographer or snorkeler cannot even understand what he sees underwater. This book provides not only this necessary knowledge, but also gives numerous examples of macro-life associated with it. This is important because it is impossible to be an expert on nudibranchs, shrimps or fish without knowing their habitats.
The book will be helpful for people in science and reef conservation, especially when doing surveys, as it is very comprehensive when it comes to benthic community. It incorporates the most current scientific research, including the latest taxonomy information as of publication date.
The reef animals and marine plants considered in this book are grouped into 10 phyla: Corals & allies (Cnidaria), Sea Squirts (Tunicata), Sponges (Porifera), Moss Animals (Bryozoa), Comb Jellies (Ctenophora), Brachiopods, Entoprocts, Foraminiferans, Sea Weeds and Cyanobacteria. The book also provides basic information about jellyfish. It features the species most commonly found underwater, as well as some of the most amazing species, such as the Immortal Jellyfish, the dangerous Box Jellyfish, and the Man of War or Bluebottle Jellyfish.
It is not surprising that corals, anemones and related species take up more than half of this book, given their enormous importance in ocean life and their amazing diversity. More surprising is the fact that, given the ongoing tectonic processes in the taxonomy of corals, popular guides written in language accessible to a layman have not been published for more than 20 years. However, the remaining groups of coral reef inhabitants from this book have been forgotten by the general public for even longer, and some of them are simply unknown to most divers, and underwater photographers today.
.Inside the book:
• Over 2100 full color photographs of 1430+ species;
• Live photographs of most species have not appeared in field guides or popular books in recent decades;
• Convenient pictorial guides are complemented by a genera index at the end of the book.
Together with this volume, the total coverage of the species in the Reef ID Books series of eight books reaches an incredible number of 8500 species!
