For some of us, this book is a inspirational return to Dr. Kikutaro Baba's unbelievable monograph, Opisthobranchs of Sagami Bay, only this time the animals we see are presented in spectacular color photos. Following the format of Atsushi Ono's Opisthobranchs of Kerama Island, TBS-Britannica has produced another fantastic opisthobranch guide. The book presents 265 species. Some of the species presentations include 3 to 4 color variations which will prove extremely valuable in identifying those more variable species. One of our colleagues was heard to say..."this book is laid out perfectly for the nudibranch enthusiast." The book covers species found on the Pacific coast of Japan between Sagami Bay and Suruga Bay. This book is a compliment to Ono's with minimal overlap.

While I share the disappointment that this terrific guide and Ono's have not been produced in English, to benefit the rest of us, I promise you that this collection of color photos - with species names, locations, depth, size and index in English, will make up for our curiosity and need to understand the Japanese text. The language barrier is most apparent when it precludes our ability to understand the a very valuable graphical presentation showing the spacial distribution of species by depth and temperature preference. I hope we can get an English translation for this informative table from the author.

Suzuki, like Ono have helped to fill a huge need towards understanding the species of this diverse region of the Pacific. We highly recomend Opisthobranchs of Izu Peninsula as a companion to Ono's Kerama Branchs.

Sea Challengers item #162S $32.95 USD, plus Shipping/handling.