Annelids (the segmented worms) exist in a remarkably diverse range of mostly marine but also freshwater and terrestrial habitats, varying greatly in size and form. This text provides. This text begins with an introduction to the phylum and an outline of annelid taxonomy. The book describes their collection and the methods to ensure their optimal preservation, and provides an overview of anatomy with its relevant terminology. It includes the latest molecular phylogenomic evidence and is organised based on a new, robust phylogenetic hypothesis. It looks at groups which include Clitellata (comprising more than a third of total annelid diversity), Sipuncula, and Thalassematidae (formerly Echiura). It reflects the enormous amount of research on these organisms that has burgeoned since the millennium, principally due to their use as model organisms to address wider and more general evolutionary and ecological questions.

In this Special Issue, we address the state of the art of the systematics of the main annelid groups and the improvements in the diversity they hold, with special emphasis on the latest discoveries in well-studied areas, expeditions to unsurveyed areas or environments, or the use of novel techniques that allow for the improvement of biodiversity knowledge. We are hoping that this Special Issue will provide a platform facilitating a review of current knowledge on the subject, identifying current research problems, as well as indicating directions and research trends for the future.

The subphylum Clitellata of the phylum Annelida contains several classes of organisms dwelling in freshwater systems. The systematic concepts of these groups are still a matter of discussion at all taxonomic levels involved. It is hoped that the interrelationships of systematic entities within and above the species level will be better understood as additional and more precise data on morphology, anatomy, and genetics become available. The aim of this volume is to present a compilation of valid tax described from the western Palaearctic area, including the fauna of the Egyptian Nile, in order to serve as a fundament for future work. This contribution covers three classes of leeches: the Branchiobdellida, which live as epizoons on freshwater decapods, the small class Acanthobdellea, comprising highly specialised parasites living on freshwater fishes, and finally the class Hirudinea, which contains species commonly known as the "classical" leeches. Standardised descriptions of the morphology of all species are given. Whenever possible, these are amended by data on anatomical details to allow correct identifications. Most of the species are illustrated, many of them for the first time. The keys cover all taxa known from the geographical range under consideration. They are especially constructed to be used by biologists in the field, thus enabling fast access to an unknown species without dissection. Whenever possible, information on biology, ecology and distribution is supplied, although many of these data have to be used very carefully to avoid the hitherto known frequent misinterpretations.

This book is the bible of bioluminescence and a must-read not only for the students but for those who work in various fields relating to bioluminescence. It summarizes current structural information on all known bioluminescent systems in nature, from well-studied ones to those that have been seldom investigated.This book remains an important source of chemical knowledge on bioluminescence and, since the second edition's publication in 2012, has been revised to include major developments in two systems: earthworm Fridericia and higher fungi whose luciferins have been elucidated and synthesized. These two new luciferins represent an essential addition to seven previously known, with fully rewritten sections covering this new subject matter.

Annelids offer a diversity of experimentally accessible features making them a rich experimental subject across the biological sciences, including evolutionary development, neurosciences and stem cell research. This volume introduces the Annelids and their utility in evolutionary developmental biology, neurobiology, and environmental/ecological studies, including extreme environments. The book demonstrates the variety of fields in which Annelids are already proving to be a useful experimental system. Describing the utility of Annelids as a research model, this book is an invaluable resource for all researchers in the field.

"The third edition of Ecology and Classification of North American Freshwater Invertebrates continues the tradition of in-depth coverage of the biology, ecology, phylogeny, and identification of freshwater invertebrates from the USA and Canada. This text serves as an authoritative single source for a broad coverage of the anatomy, physiology, ecology, and phylogeny of all major groups of invertebrates in inland waters of North America, north of Mexico." --Book Jacket.