"This guide is intended for use as an identification guide to early life history specimens collected principally by plankton nets from marine waters of the western central Atlantic. This are is bounded by 35⁰ north latitude on the north, 50 ⁰ west longitude on the east, the Equator on the south, and the continental margins on the west. It is basically the area defined by FAO as the western central Atlantic Fishing Area 31 which includes the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea. The region is tropical and subtropical with important fishing areas and a high diversity of species. The area is also characterized by the large amounts of coral reefs"--Introduction, paragraph 1.

Public Domain