https://www.publish.csiro.au/book/7842/
by John M. Huisman
CSIRO Publishing
ISBN: 978148630952
AU$220 (hardback)
This is the eighth volume published in the Algae of Australia series, and the third by John, following on from his 2006 Nemaliales and his 2015 Marine Benthic Algae of North-western Australia, 1. Green and Brown Algae. All are superb accounts of these groups of macroalgal species and this new volume, the largest of the three, is no exception.
The macroalgal diversity across the northern coastlines of Australia was long considered extremely depauperate relative to the southern coastline, but this was due to the poor knowledge of this marine flora, rather than an absence of species. For reasons that I, one with a passion for macroalgae (and particularly the reds), fail to understand, the majority of tropical marine biologists have been inexplicably distracted by the garish fish, coral and other invertebrates. But now, largely through the work of John on the west coast, and his mentor Gerry Kraft on the east coast, together with their students and colleagues, the unrecognised richness of the northern marine flora is now recognised. In this book John describes 158 genera and 351 species of benthic red algae from the north-western Australian coast, which adds to the 110 green and 61 brown species described in his previous volume. 7 genera and 88 species of reds are described as new.
This book is far from a simple checklist of species or coffee table picture book, but a comprehensive, authoritative account of the marine flora of north-western Australia with detailed morphological descriptions of each species, complemented by clear habit and microscopic images to illustrate diagnostic features, current nomenclature, taxonomic references and distribution records for each species. Higher levels of classification from division down to genus are each introduced with a detailed description and keys included to classes, orders, families, genera and species. A bonus is the series of 16 colour plates which each contain a selection of John’s magnificent underwater images of species taken in situ to show their natural habit and habitat.
Using this book to successfully identify species is facilitated by clear and, whenever possible (not always the case in the red algae), simply written couplets. For those unfamiliar with phycological terminology, a comprehensive glossary is included near the end of the book. Confirmation of a possible identification from the key is enabled by the detailed morphological description of each species and the accompanying photographic images which are superb in relevance, quality and clarity.
To me, this book is one of, if not the best yet published on the benthic marine flora of Australia and, given the diminishing number of Australian phycologists devoting their time to observing, documenting and describing our macroalgae, it is difficult to see John’s books losing this status in the future. Although the regional coverage included in the title, “north-western Australia”, may seem narrow, most of the species described in the book will not be so regionally limited, and are likely to encountered widely along Australia’s tropical coastlines and possibly around islands to our north. It is therefore a key reference work for benthic macroalgal studies through that region.
My one gripe with this book is the referencing system. References in this volume, and also in Part 1 on the green and brown algae, are listed chronologically at the end of each sub-section where the reference is first mentioned, rather than in a more conventional consolidated reference list at the end of the volume (or end of major sections) with references listed alphabetically by author. Once familiar with the system, I did become adept at locating the reference details although, even then, I sometimes yearned for the ability to search electronically. There has been inconsistency in the referencing systems used through the Algae of Australia series, with some having consolidated bibliographies at the end of the book, others with bibliographies at the end of major sub-sections, and the one used by John. This is, however, a minor issue relative to the excellence of the book’s content.
At $220.00 AUD, the book may appear expensive. However, the cost befits the quality and content of the work and the standard of publication, similar to the recently published, and similarly wonderful books by Gary Poore on Southern Australian decapods, Maria Byrne and Tim O’Hara on the Australian echinoderms and Patricia Cook, Phil Bock, Dennis Gordon and Haylee Weaver on Australian bryozoa. John’s volumes should join these on the library shelves of every Australian institution teaching or practicing marine biology and ecology, and I also recommend them to any individual with an interest in our tropical marine flora and ecosystems.
Reviewed by John Lewis