Parrotfish of the Great Barrier Reef Rainbows under the Sea

About this book

The array of colours found on the Scaride family of fish, commonly known as the Parrotfish, is truly astounding and is showcased to breathtaking effect in this book. Photographer and artist Michelle Brayshaw reveals the array of colour changes which these fish display through ontological (slow) and physiological (fast) processes. The obvious differences are in the three phases of their lives, but it is the subtle changes in colour that can be the most bizarre, occurring while feeding, mating, courting, cleaning, camouflaging themselves to their backgrounds or the fish around them, experiencing mood swings, fighting, playing and, most excitingly of all, when they are transitioning from female to male. This feat is not unique to the Parrotfish, but no other animals do it with such glamour and colour.

Through hundreds of hours of observational research, this book highlights the light play and physiological and morphological colour changes of the Scaridae found on the Great Barrier Reef in stunning photographic accuracy. It also includes comprehensive information about why this family of fish is one of the most important on the reef; instilling in the reader a deeper sense of the treasures found there and reminding us of the interconnected nature of our existence.

Contents

1. Bolbometopon muricatum: Bumphead parrotfish
2. Calatomus carolina: Stareye parrotfish
3. Cetoscarus ocellatus: Two-colour parrotfish
4. Chlorurus bleekeri: Bleekers parrotfish
5. Chlorurus japanesis: Japanese parrotfish
6. Chlorurus microrhinos: Steephead parrotfish
7. Chlorurus spilurus: Bullethead parrotfish
8. Hipposcarus longiceps: Pacific longnose parrotfish
9. Scarus altipinnis: Filament-finned parrotfish
10. Scarus chameleon: Chameleon parrotfish
11. Scarus dimidiatus: Blue-bridled parrotfish
12. Scarus flavipectoralis: Yellowfin parrotfish
13. Scarus frenatus: Bridled parrotfish
14. Scarus ghobban: Blue-bar parrotfish
15. Scarus globiceps: Globehead parrotfish
16. Scarus niger: Swarthy parrotfish
17. Scarus oviceps: Dark-cap parrotfish
18. Scarus psittacus: Palenose parrotfish
19. Scarus quoyi: Quoy's parrotfish
20. Scarus rivulatus: Surf parrotfish
21. Scarus rubroviolaceus: Ember parrotfish
22. Scarus schlegeli: Schlegels parrotfish
23. Scarus spinus: Yellowhead parrotfish

Plates
Further reading (references)

Customer Reviews

Biography

Michelle Brayshaw is presently completing a hybrid Science/Visual Art, Masters of Research, at Central Queensland University. She has been an educator for 34 years and a secondary Visual Art teacher for 28 years, in Queensland, Australia. Michelle holds Post Graduate qualifications in Creative Arts and has numerous qualifications in Arts Disciplines. She has participated in various exhibitions and sold her work in outlets throughout Queensland. In 2015, Michelle published her first photographic underwater book with New Holland Publishers.

She says of her latest work: "I have developed a deep love and passion for our beautiful region and consider myself blessed that I live with The Great Barrier Reef at my doorstep. My work creates that magical and ephemeral moment in time which is intended to bring with it, memories and associated smells, sounds and feelings giving the audience insight and prompting reaction for the survival of one of our most beautiful environments and what I believe are the most important and beautiful of all its inhabitants, the Scarini tribe."