ABSTRACT
Producing the next generation is one of the great challenges of life. Each of the astonishing variety of species on Earth can be distinguished in part by their reproductive isolation from other species. The diversity of behaviors and morphological adaptations of fishes for reproduction are vast and endlessly fascinating, particularly in the case of these fishes that choose to spawn on beaches, in an environment that is peripheral to, or in fact different from, the environment in which they spend most of their larval and adult lives. This chapter and the next will describe the reproductive adaptations and the rich tapestry of behaviors of beach-spawning fishes, as revealed in the many diverse species that reproduce on beaches.
