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Isla del Coco Fishes

Scalloped Hammerhead Sphyrna lewini   Commerson's Frogfish Antennarius commersoni   Red-Tail Triggerfish (male) Xanthichthys mento   Cocos Blue Banded Goby Lythrypnus cobalus (endemic)   Eagle Ray Aetobatus narinari   Searobin Peristedion sp.   King Angelfish Holacanthus passer   Images by Avi Klapfer http://www. underseahunter.com

Look inside the book! Buy the Book! Online Mini-Movie Fishes of Isla del Coco The Book Isla del Coco Fishes, written by coral reef ecologist Ginger Garrison, was first published in 2000 and the revised, expanded second edition was published in August 2005. The book is the first synthesis of scientific information about the remote Isla del Coco National Park (Costa Rica). The book, written in Spanish and English, contains descriptions and color photographs of 150 of the 270 fish species known from Isla del Coco, arranged in phylogenetic order. Many of the species are new records for the island and/or the eastern tropical Pacific. Descriptions of fish species include: the scientific name and common names in Spanish and English; the diagnostic characteristics for distinguishing one species from another in the field; size range; habitats where the species occurs, what it eats, notes on reproduction and sex, and interesting behavior; abundance of the species at Cocos and sites around the island where the species has been observed; geographical distribution; similar species and how to distinguish between them; other common names and scientific synonyms. The book also presents: the first complete fish species list for the island's waters; complete species lists for coral, birds, marine and terrestrial mammals, and reptiles; graphics of the ocean floor, oceanic currents and a map of the island; an introduction to the island's natural history; a brief human history of the island. A bilingual, interactive CD based on the book contains: the descriptions and images of 140 fish species; the natural history of the area; location of the island; a brief human history. Isla del Coco, Costa Rica Isla del Coco is Costa Rica's most isolated national park and one of the most beautiful. The island was designated a national park in 1978 and has been home to resident park wardens since 1992. On 6 December 1997, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared Isla del Coco a World Natural Heritage Site. In 1998, Cocos was designated a wetlands of international importance, one of a select number of sites on the Ramsar list. The seaward boundary of the marine national park was extended to 22.2 km (12 nm) from the Isla del Coco shoreline in 2001. In 2003, the United Nations Foundation and the UNESCO World Heritage Center launched the Eastern Tropical Pacific Seascape (ETPS) Marine Corridor, a 211 million hectare area that encompasses the marine protected areas of Cocos (Costa Rica), Gorgona and Malpelo (Colombia), Coiba (Panamá) and the Galápagos (Ecuador) islands, and the oceanic waters that link them. Country: Costa Rica Location: 5°18'53" - 5°45'48" North latitude; 87°17'47" - 86°49'32" West longitude Area (island): 23 km2 (10 mi2) Area (marine): 1,997 km2 Highest elevation: Cerro Yglesias, 575 m (1,900 ft) Maximum variation between high and low tides: 4 m Average rainfall: 7 m (>275 in per year) Average air temperature: 25.5°C (77.9°F) Average surface seawater temperature: 27.75°C (82°F) 270 species of fishes, at least 27 endemic 33 species coral, 19 species zooxanthellate coral 0 native mammals, 6 species introduced 9 marine mammal species 111 species of birds, 3 endemic 4 species of sea turtle, 1 sea snake species, 2 endemic species terrestrial reptiles over 800 species of insects estimated, at least 58 endemic 262 plant species, 37 endemic and 71 introduced species Related Internet Resources Friends of Isla del Coco National Park Foundation - Friends of Isla del Coco National Park Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad - Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (Costa Rica) Publisher Parque Nacional Isla del Coco - Sistema Nacional de Areas de Conservación de Costa Rica News Release - Precious and Fragile - the Life of Isla del Coco - USGS Florida Integrated Science Center - Center for Aquatic Resource Studies About Isla del Coco Fishes - USGS Florida Integrated Science Center - Center for Aquatic Resource Studies Buy the Book Available through the Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INBio, San Jose,Costa Rica) Website books section. In U.S., also available through Sea Challengers Press. Cost approximately: $40.00 (US), plus shipping and handling. Email: info@SeaChallengers.com Website: http://www.SeaChallengers.com/ Contact Information For more information about the Isla del Coco research, please contact Ginger Garrison at Email: ginger_garrison@usgs.gov Telephone: 727 803-8747

Coastal & Marine Geology Program > Center for Coastal Studies > Isla del Coco Fishes

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Updated August 01, 2005 @ 11:26 AM (JSS)