ABSTRACT
The biology of intertidal animals is probably better known than any other group of marine organisms. There are numerous reasons why this should be so, but paramount must be the intrinsic interest in the ways such animals adapt to the fluctuating conditions in which they live. Equally important from a practical viewpoint is that intertidal animals are usually obtainable in large numbers, require no complex equipment for their capture, and because of their general hardiness, make good experimental subjects. Consequently, the literature covering the biology, in its widest sense, of intertidal species is very extensive. Many attempts have been made to summarize this vast body of knowledge ranging from numerous popular accounts through the classic works by Ricketts & Calvin (1939) and Yonge (1949) to general texts (e.g., Carefoot, 1977) and detailed reviews (e.g., Newell, 1979). Common to nearly all these works, however, is that intertidal fishes receive little, if any, attention. In recent years there has been an increasing interest in this group and the available information up to 1969 was summarized in an earlier paper (Gibson, 1969a). Since then other works have dealt specifically (e.g., Moring, 1979b) or partially (e.g., Fitch & Lavenburg, 1975; Horn, 1980), with intertidal fishes. In the past decade this interest has continued to grow and the emphasis has shifted perceptibly from an initial, essentially descriptive, phase towards a more experimental and analytical approach. The geographical area covered by such studies has also been greatly extended although they still tend to be concentrated in Europe and on the Pacific coast of North America. Observations on African, Australasian, and South American species are for the most part sadly lacking.
