Ten new species of semi-aquatic earthworm genus Glyphidrilus Horst, 1889 are described from several river systems in Thailand. The earthworms were all found at a depth of 5?15 cm from the surface in wet top soil and usually near casts. The worms excrete casts on the soil surface by locating the tails up to the soil surface while the heads go down to deeper soils. They have the peculiar expanded epidermis at about clitellum position called ?wings? which function is still unknown. They produce long cocoons wich locate vertically in the soil in the same places as the worms. One cocoon produces 7-10 juveniles. All the ten new described species appear to be highly endemic to particular watershed with very little range overlap between them, and most are confined to a small region. The lowland paddy systems in Thailand have been colonized by some species of Glyphidrilus, where they occur in the rice paddy throughout the propagation period (wet season) from planting of the seedlings to post harvest (dry season). The worms did well in areas of organic farming and so are likely to be sensitive to modern agrochemical contamination of the environment.

On biodiversity, biology research, and ecosystem management in Thailand; volume brought out in commemoration of the 72nd birthday of Professor Dr. Wisut Baimai of Mahidol University.

This book offers a comprehensive study of species- and genus-level diversity and chorology of the global freshwater fauna to date. It gives a state of the art assessment of the diversity and distribution of Metazoa in the continental waters of the world.

Biological invasion, an issue of growing importance due to the significant increase in international transportation and trade, can disturb the balance of local ecosystems and even destroy them. This collection of papers presented at the International Conference on Assessment and Control of Biological Invasion Risks held in August 2004 at Yokohama National University discusses risk assessment, risk management and eradication. It also includes contributions reporting on the current status of invasion and the properties of alien species in East Asia.

As a food resource in both Eastern and Western countries, the eel is an important fish. Over the years, remarkable progress has been achieved in understanding the mysterious life cycle of eels that has fascinated scientists since the age of Aristotle. The spawning area of the Japanese eel was discovered and the migratory route of its larvae was elucidated. With the development of techniques for artificial induction of gonadal maturation, it became possible to obtain hatched larvae. Larval rearing to the leptocephalus stage, one of the most difficult tasks involved in eel culture, finally was achieved. By presenting these important breakthroughs, Eel Biology will be of great help in the development of effective management strategies for maintaining stable eel populations. With contributions by leading experts, this book is a valuable source for researchers as well as industry technicians in the fields of aquatic biology, aquaculture, and fisheries.