Marine Research Application Puts the Reef Fish of the East Indies at Your Fingertips

Released on October 10, the innovative 'Reef Fishes Of The East Indies' App brings every known reef fish species in the East Indies to the masses - increasing value for the regions' vast biodiversity.

Conservation International (CI) has announced the release of the "Reef Fishes of The East Indies" App, a digital guide to every known reef fish species in the most biodiverse region on the planet, based on the book of the same name.

Co-author, Mark Erdmann CI's senior advisor to the Indonesian Marine Program said, "Sharing this knowledge brings greater value to the biodiversity present here and we hope this will increase motivation and momentum for its conservation to ensure that these species and their delicate ecosystems remain in balance. Maintaining this natural capital is key to the region's important tourism industry, and other ecosystem services the ocean provides the people."

The comprehensive information contained in this guide, includes over 2,500 reef fishes of which 25 species are new to science. It summarizes 60 years of research and exploration and brings greater understanding and valuation of the immense biodiversity of reef fish in the East Indies. The authors, scientists Mark Erdmann and Gerry Allen, have spent much of their lives at sea discovering, studying and conserving some of the most rare and beautiful fish in the world. The proceeds of this CI produced app will support CI Indonesia's marine conservation program.

Designed for iPad and Kindle Fire, REEF FISHES OF THE EAST INDIES doesn't "stream" content, so you can be used out at sea, with no internet connection required. The app contains many useful and interactive features including search, note-taking and drawing features, detailed entries for each species, and photo-sharing by email and social media. It is available for purchase in the Apple store and volumes 1 and 2 are $17.99 USD each, and Volume 3 is free.

Photo: Authors at work photographing a new species in Cendrawasih Bay. © Jones/Shimlock. Secret Sea Visions

 "This is the perfect digital guide for divers and nature lovers to use in the office, school, home or out on the open sea," Erdman said. "We had originally simply created a book, but later thought it would be great to produce an app to bring this information to the masses in an easy to access, transportable format."

The coverage area of the app includes the Coral Triangle (including Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands) which alone boasts 37% of the world's coral reef fish species - more than anywhere else on the planet, as well as the South China Sea (including Brunei Darussalam to Vietnam and Singapore), the Andaman Sea (including Thailand, Myanmar, and the Andaman Islands of India) and Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean. It covers all shallow-water (0-75m) reef-associated fish species known from the region, including both obligate reef dwellers and those that are commonly observed passing through reef areas or in the soft bottom areas just adjacent to reefs.

From the majestic manta ray (Manta birostris) to the gorgeous, jewel-like mandarinfish (Synchiropus splendidus), with 2,655 species in over 3,000 Retina Display/High Definition photos, the sheer quantity of content is split between three volumes for iPad that link together seamlessly, so you can move instantly between one volume and another. Organized by Classification, Family, and Species, the app will be regularly updated to keep up with the scientists' new discoveries. And Erdmann and Allen are busy discovering new species with astonishing frequency. Their team most recently found a new species of "walking" Bamboo Shark (Hemiscyllium halmahera) in the waters off the Maluku Islands, Indonesia.

Stunning photographs and App screenshots available for download at: http://goo.gl/6Ny5vc

To purchase: http://reef-fishes.com/ Proceeds will support CI Indonesia's marine conservation program.

About Conservation International (CI) – Building upon a strong foundation of science, partnership and field demonstration, CI empowers societies to responsibly and sustainably care for nature and its global biodiversity to promote the long-term well-being of people. Founded in 1987 and marking its 25th anniversary in 2012, CI is headquartered in the Washington, D.C. area. CI employs 900 staff in nearly 30 countries on four continents and works with more than 1,000 partners around the world. For more information, please see www.conservation.org