Book Review - Nudibranchs of Britain, Ireland and Northwest Europe - Princeton University Press

 

     Ah, the nudibranch! Who amongst us does not love a nudibranch?

     In fact, when doing a completely unscientific survey of naturalist friends, most either did not know what a nudibranch is, or had but a vague idea. 

     Clearly then, a volume on these colourful inhabitants of coastal waters is both timely, and perhaps overdue. I applaud Princeton University Press without reservation for the range of organisms covered in their publications; knowledge is everything. It is a familiar paradigm that we will protect what we know, and protection of one organism in an ecosystem is protection for all.

      Nudibranchs are both fascinating and beautiful and they reward those who come to know them. This guide is an update of A Field Guide to the Nudibranchs of the British Isles, published in 1994. The range of that book was restricted to the coastal waters of Britain and Ireland - and much has changed in almost thirty years. 

     As the authors point out there has been an expansion of recognized species as taxonomy follows the advances in species identification made possible by molecular analysis. 

     There is a section on feeding. All nudibranchs are carnivorous and feed by means of a specialized structure known as a radula. Radula morphology is important in the classification of nudibranchs.

     Interestingly the lifespan of a nudibranch is often geared to the lifespan of its prey. 

     Nudibranchs are simultaneous hermaphrodites and the methods of reproduction enabled by this condition are fully explained.

     The anatomy of the nudibranch is covered briefly, but adequately, including the characters that pertain to larval and adult stages.

     A few paragraphs are devoted to finding nudibranchs, followed by a glossary.

     The heart of the book is from page 20 to page 355, where individual species are presented, each one being allocated two pages. There is a description of the species, a discussion of its ecology, its distribution, a list of similar species, its key characteristics and three stunning full-colour illustrations. These pages illustrate the wide diversity of nudibranchs and the array of colours found throughout this fascinating order.

     It is a fine book which will no doubt become the  invaluable companion of divers, underwater photographers, and naturalists exploring coastal waters.  I doubt they'll leave home without it.

Nudibranchs of Britain, Ireland and Northwest Europe - Princeton University Press.

Bernard Pictor and Christine Morrow

Paperback

US$39.95 - £35.00 - ISBN: 9780691208794

360 pages - 5.5 x 8.5 inches (13.75 x 21.25 cm)

Publication date: USA 12 September, 2023

                              UK  06 June, 2023