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 Lavishly illustrated throughout with hundreds of previously unpublished high-resolution colour images and SEM micrographs, the sheer beauty and diversity of the annelids is nowhere better presented.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.

About the Author
Greg Rouse is a Distinguished 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 200 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 (with Kristian Fauchald) at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC, USA. Ekin Tilic is currently serving as Curator of Marine Invertebrates at the Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum in Frankfurt, and as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Bonn, Germany. He was elected the president of the International Polychaetology Association in 2023. His academic journey includes extensive postdoctoral research focused on annelid evolution and morphology at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Bonn, at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego and at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. His research combines phylogenomic methods with advanced bioimaging techniques to study the evolutionary relationships and morphology of marine invertebrate taxa, particularly polychaetes. Fredrik Pleijel is a Senior Researcher at Tjarnoe 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 (also with Kristian Fauchald) at the Smithsonian Institution and was formerly Senior researcher at Museum national d'Histoire naturelle in Paris, France.

Reviews
Review from previous edition 'In this magnificent volume, Rouse and Pleijel present a masterly, fascinating and encyclopaedic summary on an important group of animals. Whilst the core of the book is systematic, the overview at the beginning of the book is concise and invaluable...this introductory section is then succeeded by detailed comparisons, which are not only excellently illustrated but complemented by a handsome set of colour pictures.' (Geological Magazine )
'This book is very well presented, with a swag of coloured photographs taken of live animals, some lovely micrographs of this amazing group of animals and line drawings for each family.' (Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology )
'A book of this nature was clearly an enormous undertaking, and the authors are to be congratulated on the final product ...it will be of immense value to anyone intending to study, or currently investigating, Africa's rich polychaete fauna... chapters are informative and are excellent as a quick reference for information on any taxon. If more detail is needed, readers will find the text well referenced.' (African Zoology )
Annelida is a classic taxon book...this is a massive book that surely took years to amalgamate and deserves a place on the bookshelf, nay, the coffee table, of any naturalist. * Randy Lauff, The Canadian Field - Naturalist *



Book Information
ISBN 9780198893585
Author Greg Rouse
Format Paperback
Page Count 432
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 1572g
Dimensions(mm) 275mm * 220mm * 25mm