Micronesian Reef Fishes: A Practical Guide to the Identification of the Coral Reef Fishes of the Tropical Central and Western Pacific

Micronesian Reef Fishes is the ultimate referance for experienced marine biologists. The number of species listings are mind blowing. Some uncommon and unknown species are also offered. For example: "Reptilian Snake Eel", "Lagoon Picasso Triggerfish", and "Pink Snapper." These are a few of the thousands of uncommon and typical species identified. Every single category is described to the pinpoint in the front of the book, with the beautiful photos on the right hand side. This is not any annotated version of a field guide, and it seems to cover a wider range than Micronesia. Both editions of the guide are pretty much complete, but the hardback has more listings. However, it does not matter which edition you purchase, since the difference is hardly noticeable.

Robert Myer's book is a wonderful tool for all snorkelers, divers, and fish enthusiasts. Robert is a wonderful diver and photographer, and he has spent much time identifying Micronesian fish in their adult and juvenile stages. His book is easy to use but also detailed. This book is much-needed, because many of the fish included are native to particular regions, rare species, or under-studied.I have used this book numerous times in Guam and other Micronesian islands (where we became friends with Robert!). This is really a great tool for identification, and not just for Micronesia, but also for the entire Indo-Pacific region. I highly recommend it!

I would just like to comment that the differences between the softcover and hardcover editions needs to be described in the advertisement. The hardcover edition is comprehensive, covering "every known shorefish from the region" as well as a detailed descriptive (i.e. measurements and counts, line drawings, keys, synonyms, etc.) that may be of more interest to the marine biologist or fish fanatic. The softcover is an abridged version with a re-written text, suitable as a field guide for divers and aquarists. Both have the same color section (the text section is separate from the photos). The content is excellent in the softcover; however, I will be returning it for the hardcover since it contains the kind of information I am interested in attaining.

I make my living taking people scuba diving in Micronesia. At Yap Divers, we reference Myers' book daily. This is the definitive fish book on Micronesia and belongs in any serious libarary.

The author (a diver/photographer/biologist living in Guam) has scoured the scientific literature and distilled the essential facts about each species into this amazingly comprehensive guide. Color plates, drawings, tables and a concise paragraph describing each fish and its behavior make it an essential reference for divers and scientists almost anywhere in the tropical Indo-Pacific, not only Micronesia. The care and love of detail that have gone into this work are unsurpassed. The only work comparing with it in scope is the massive Smith's Sea Fishes (limited to the fishes of South Africa). Of the two, this may be the better if only because of its handy size and copious underwater photographs.