What arachnologist worth his salt could forget the arachnid with a two-foot legspan? The Order Amblypygi not only contains world record species, but also some of the most improbable and unbelievable looking members of the Class Arachnida. Otherwise known as whipspiders, these creatures appear to have been formed in the deep recesses of a human nightmare, and yet are the only large arachnids that are entirely harmless to humans. Predatory whipspiders display advanced social behaviors and externally visible reproductive biology of immense complexity. This text presents cutting edge biological details, supporting Scanning Electron Micrographs, and unparalleled captive reproduction information with photographic documentation.

The volume deals with morphology, taxonomy and systematics of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) in the families Steinernematidae and Heterorhabditidae and bacteria associated with these nematodes. In the first part, history, taxonomic status, family and genus definitions of EPN are mentioned. In the second part, all useful aspects of morphology and methodology of EPN are mentioned with illustrations and SEM photographs and instructions on how to make the measurements, and how to use them in taxonomic work. A polychotomous key with SEM photographs and illustrations is provided. In the third part, full descriptions of all species are presented with latest information about each species. In the fourth part, molecular and phylogenetic methods for working with EPN are presented, including the latest information and instructions on how to use molecular data in taxonomic work. In the last part, bacteria associated with this group of nematodes are discussed in the context of the latest information about methodology, biology and taxon.

This is the first and so far the one and only treatise on the morphology of the Tylenchs. Tylenchs are economically important Nematodes that live in huge numbers in the soil. They are microscopic and they show a constant number of cells, a characteristic in Nematodes. The cell count in Tylenchs, undertaken here for the first time, resulted in an estimate of fewer than a thousand cells. All the different cell types are described in great detail, and some of them are rather unusual in the Animal Kingdom. The internal pressure system (typical for Nematodes) in conjunction with the presence of a hollow stylet (typical for Tylenchs), results in rigorous but functional relations among the several body parts. Throughout the book functional morphology is a key topic and an entire chapter is devoted to it. The book is amply illustrated with line drawings that are based on microscopic and sub-microscopic observations.

The sheath nematodes belonging to the superfamily Hemicycliophoroidea are unique amongst all plant parasitic nematodes known to man due to the presence of an extra cuticular covering or sheath over the inner cuticle and body of all juvenile and adult life stages. These plant-parasitic nematodes include species of agricultural and quarantine importance. In Systematics of the Sheath Nematodes of the Superfamily Hemicycliophoroidea John Chitambar and Sergei Subbotin provide a detailed review of the taxonomy and diagnosis of the superfamily, its member genera and 153 related species based on their morphological and molecular analyses, as well as a further understanding of the relationships within the superfamily using molecular phylogenetics. In addition, Chitambar and Subbotin also give detailed information on the global distribution, biology, host-parasite relationships and ecology of sheath nematodes.

The genus "Meloidogyne" Goldi, 1892, or root-knot nematodes, represent a relatively small but economically important group of obligate plant pathogens. They are distributed worldwide and parasitize on almost every higher plant species. While reproducing and feeding within roots, they induce galls or root-knots and disorder the physiology of the infected plant, reducing crop yield and product quality. More than eighty nominal species have been described worldwide, while twenty species have been detected in Europe so far. This book includes a historical review on the genus, followed by a revision of the European species, and completed with a study on one of the most characteristic morphological structures within the genus: the perineal pattern.