Copepod crustaceans are the most numerous multicellular animals on earth. They occur in every free-living and parasitic aquatic niche. Copepods have been known since the time of Aristotle, yet there has never been a history of the study of copepods. This volume, the first in a planned three-volume series, reviews the discoveries of copepods to 1832, the year that the two distinct branches, the free-living copepods (long-known as insects) and the parasitic copepods (thought to be molluscs or worms) were finally acknowledged as members of the same Class Crustacea. The narrative includes the biographies of 90 early copepodologists and recounts their most important contributions to science. Portraits are included for two-thirds of the subjects, with considerable new material as well as information and illustrations from obscure sources. Milestones include the first description of copepods (ca. 350 B.C.), the first illustration (1554), the first free-living freshwater copepod (1688), the first explanation of a free-living copepod's metamorphosis (1756), the first permanently named copepod (1758), the first free-living marine copepod (1770), and the first description of a parasitic copepod's metamorphosis (1819). The work ends with a transition to the mid-19th century, previewing numerous personal connections that pointed toward copepodology's Golden Age in the 1890s, to be covered in Volume 2. A final volume will take the history of the study of copepods to ca. 1950.

This book offers the first comprehensive review of parasitic Crustacea, which are among the most successful and diverse parasites. Starting with an introductory chapter, followed by an historic overview and topic-specific chapters, each presenting a different aspect of parasitic crustacean biology, it enables readers to gain a better understanding of how these parasites function and allows direct comparisons between the different parasitic crustacean groups. The authors also discuss, in depth, the adaptations and interactions that have made parasitic Crustacea as successful as they are today, covering topics ranging from the history of their discovery, their biodiversity, phylogeny, evolution and life strategies to their role as vectors, or hosts of other organisms, and their significance in ecological processes. Consisting of ten chapters from leading international experts in the field, this volume offers a one-stop resource for all researchers, lecturers, students and practitioners.

Oar Feet and Opal Teeth is about free-living copepods and the copepodologists who study them. Copepods are a subclass of the arthropod class Crustacea. They act as dominant herbivores and small predators in the planktonic ecosystems of oceans, estuaries, and lakes. Copepods are likely the largest assemblage of complex animals on earth. These strikingly beautiful small crustaceans are of wide ecological significance and as complex and precisely adapted as insects. Yet few biologists and others interested in animals are familiar with them. In Oar Feet and Opal Teeth, Charles B. Miller introduces these small crustaceans and the scientists devoting their careers to revealing their biology. In twenty-one chapters, Miller details the defining features and general biology of copepods. They typically have four or five pairs of oar-like feet to drive escape jumps. Teeth on mandible extensions are formed with siliceous minerals akin to opal. The first two chapters of the book closely examine the oar feet and mouth parts. Subsequent chapters describe internal anatomy, taxonomy, and many aspects of copepod natural history. Recent evolutionary insights about them are reviewed; those are based on molecular genetics and reach back to the Cambrian explosion. Oar Feet and Opal Teeth includes over twenty biographical sketches of copepodologists from the mid-twentieth century to the present. Among them, Russell Hopcroft, a premier photographer of plankton, has full-color copepod images featured throughout the book. Jeannette Yen learned how Euchaeta marina detects prey and studies how ready-for-mating copepods find each other. Shinichi Uye of Hiroshima University studied the production by copepods of resting eggs and their delayed development. Grace Wyngaard is studying the special embryonic cell-divisions of some lake copepods for eliminating "junk DNA." Miller based most of the profiles featured in the book on personal interviews he conducted.

The importance of copepods in aquaculture has long been recognized, especially in the larval rearing of many marine fishes. This timely publication provides a single source of information on copepod biology, culture methods and practical use in marine finfish hatcheries. Originating out of a workshop held on copepods by the Oceanic Institute in Hawaii, this proceedings includes review articles and papers presented by leading international experts in copepod biology and aquaculture. It is a seminal work that integrates the most up-to-date information on selecting copepod species, effects of algal species on reproduction, ways to increase production, the nutritional value of copepods, behavioral characteristics of copepods, potential use of copepod nauplii and eggs, and their application to larval rearing of various marine finfish species.