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. Annelida provides a fully updated and expanded taxonomic reference work which broadens the scope of the classic Polychaetes (OUP, 2001) to encompass wider groups including 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.
Beginning with a clear introduction to the phylum and an outline of annelid taxonomy, this authoritative text describes their collection, the methods to ensure their optimal preservation, and an overview of anatomy with its relevant terminology. The core of the work comprises 77 fully up-to-date taxonomic chapters, informed by anatomy and the latest molecular phylogenomic evidence and carefully organised based on a new, robust phylogenetic hypothesis. Lavishly illustrated throughout with hundreds of previously unpublished high-resolution colour images and SEM micrographs, the sheer beauty and diversity of the annelids is nowhere better presented.
Annelida is the definitive reference work for annelid biologists, whilst being of interest to a broader audience of invertebrate zoologists, systematists, and organismal biologists.
Greg Rouse, Curator, Benthic Invertebrate Collection and Professor, Marine Biology Research Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, USA, Fredrik Pleijel, Professor of Zoology, Department of Marine Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, Ekin Tilic, Researcher, Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, University of Bonn, Germany
Greg W. Rouse is a professor of marine biology and is also curator of the Benthic Invertebrate Collection at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, USA. He specializes in studying the biodiversity, phylogeny, and systematics of marine animals. He has been on numerous oceanographic expeditions involving deep sea habitats, including whale falls, hydrothermal vents and methane seeps and has been involved in the discovery and naming of more than 150 species, mostly annelids. Prior to joining Scripps, he held research positions at the South Australian Museum and University of Sydney, and as a research fellow at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., USA.
Fredrik Pleijel is a Senior Researcher at Tjärnö Marine Laboratory, Department of Marine Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. He previously held a position as curator at the Swedish Museum of Natural History, completed a post-doc working mainly on hesionid polychaetes with Kristian Fauchald at the Smithsonian in Washington DC, USA, and was formerly Professor at Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle in Paris, France.
Ekin Tilic is a postdoctoral researcher working on annelid evolution and morphology at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Bonn, Germany. A major focus of his research has been the ultrastructure and development of annelid chaetae. He has also been working as a postdoctoral researcher at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, USA and also the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. His current work combines phylogenomic methods to help uncover the evolutionary relationships of annelid taxa while studying their morphology using a variety of bioimaging techniques.
