The latest in the series of New World Publications guides to marine life, Reef Creature Identification-Tropical Pacific, is to be launched in Asia on 25 October and in the US at DEMA on 17 November. This book forms the ninth marine life field guide authored by Paul Humann and Ned DeLoach. (via DivePhotoGuide).

The November 2010 release of Reef Creature Identification – Tropical Pacific marks the ninth marine life field guide co-authored by Paul Humann and Ned DeLoach. Although the partners of 20 years have been documenting wildlife in the Pacific for three decades, they have concentrated their underwater efforts for the past five years on marine invertebrates – a rich fauna whose species count outnumbers the region’s fishes by a factor of ten.

During their extensive research the authors/photographers carried their cameras from tide pools to the edge of safe diving depths, from coral reefs, to sea grass meadows and sandy plains. It was a voyage into a world without backbones, where lacking the constraints of vertebrae, natural selection has gone wonderfully wild. The freedom of form engendered an explosion of exotic animals fitting every description from ladybug-like amphipods to multi-hued clams as big as bathtubs. The text focuses on mobile species, highlighting crustaceans, mollusks, worms and echinoderms, however the pages include an overview of attached marine animals, and also explore many facets of invertebrate behavior.

The 500-page reference, detailing 1,600 animals with 2,000 photographs and descriptive text is not only the most comprehensive visual guide to marine invertebrate life inhabiting the waters from Thailand to Tahiti, but also a pictorial tour de force skillfully bridging science and the aesthetic. The two researchers delved deep into uncharted waters, not only visually documenting numerous species for the first time, but also incorporating the most recent taxonomic research from more than 40 scientific specialists. “The new book represents our most pioneering work to date.” DeLoach explains. “Although quite detailed, what we have compiled only scratches the surface of the undreamed-of animals still out there waiting to be discovered.”

The guide provides a boon of information for diving photographers and underwater naturalists, known as critter hunters, who enjoy one of the most challenging games in the sea – searching for charismatic mini-fauna of the reef. And for the armchair adventurers, the brilliant gallery of images brings an unseen, unimagined world to the surface like never before.

Reef Creature Identification – Tropical Pacific is available in Asia October 25, through DiveBooks.Net.