There are at least 4000 species of fishes that inhabit coral reefs.although it would be impossible to include all of them in a useful field guide,the number becomes manageable by excluding most small (under 3 cm)cryptic species,species that spend most of their adult lives buried in sand or deep within the infrastructure of the reef ,and the species that inhabit primarily non-reef habitats.This guide attempts to include all fishes that are likely to be observed by the nonspecialist diving on coral reefs of the Indo-pacific and western Atlantic oceans to a depth of 60 m.the species accounts are in two parts,the first covering 1700Indo-Pacific species,the second covering 350 western Atlantic species.The few species common to both regions are typically include in one section and cross-referenced in the other.

The term "coral reef"is used broadly to include areas adjacent to reefs where corals may occur such as harbors,bays,and rocky tidepools as well as reef-associated habitats such as seagrass beds,sandy expanses,and open rocky bottoms.The term"shorefish"refers to a species that .......(╮(╯▽╰)╭纍)