On dark winter days, it’s lovely to daydream of adventures on colorful coral reefs. The recently published Coral Triangle Cameos: Biodiversity and the Small Majority, presents a photographic smorgasbord of the smallest fish and invertebrates of this amazingly diverse region. These tiny residents not only contribute enormously to the rich variation of the marine life, but their inter-relationships also offer fascinating insights to the creative expressions of evolution.
A chillingly beautiful example is the colonial sea anemone Nemanthus annamensis, known by the suggestive English name “gorgonian wrapper.” This anemone forms colonies around the branches of black corals and gorgonian sea fans. Unfortunately, it is a one-sided love affair: the coral is systematically overgrown and slowly dies under the anemone’s suffocating embrace. However, for the anemone, this parasitic form of symbiosis offers many benefits. Within the branches of the doomed corals, the anemone establishes a prime location on the reef to feed in plankton-rich currents – thus usurping the precious domain of the corals.
But this enforced diversity of species doesn’t end there. The anemone often hosts the symbiotic shrimp Izucaris masudai, but which is hardly noticed because it has adopted the exact same colours and patterns as its host.
Coral Triangle Cameos
In the photo book Coral Triangle Cameos: Biodiversity and the Small Majority by marine biologist Sancia van der Meij and photographer Alan Powderham, the smallest fish and invertebrates from the Coral Triangle are central. These tiny inhabitants not only contribute enormously to the diversity of coral reefs, but the relationships between species also provide a good picture of the creative excesses of evolution.
The book is available through (online) bookstores or from Dived Up Publications. ISBN 978-1-909455-57-3
Looks like a fabulous book- can’t wait to get it .