Table of Contents

General introduction; Taxonomy, evolution, and zoogeography; Basic anatomy, locomotion and ecomorphology; Feeding and digestion; Metabolism, excretion, and water balance; Nervous, sensory and neurosecretory systems; Gametogenesis and fertilization; Development, moulting, and life histories; Predators, parasites, and defence; Ecology; Concluding remarks; References; Glossary; Index.

Reviews

'This book is essential reading for terrestrial ecologists, zoologists, and students taking courses in invertebrate biology. The authors provide an extremely comprehensive bibliography of research papers and literature.'
Ethology Ecology & Evolution 5: 1993
'Class Diplopoda has never before been reviewed so concisely and yet so cpmprehensively ... Stephen Hopkin and Hellen Read should be congratulated for putting together an up-to-date account designed for students and specialists alike that is both readable and informative, authoritative and unpresumptious.'
Israel Journal of Zoology, Vol. 39, 1993
'this new synthesis ... is very welcome ... The authors admirably satisfy the expectations of the reader both for beginners and specialists. The book is very readable throughout, its critical view gives a stimulating guide through the biology of a fascinating class of arthropods.'
W. Tischler, Kiel, Ethology, Vol. 94 No. 4, 1993
'eminently readable compendium ... Classical tomes on millipedes are formidable and off-putting, perhaps by an excessive concentration on taxonomy, morphology and reproductive biology, but this volume deliberately sets out to strike a balance between the areas in which millipedes are relatively well characterised and the recent information emerging on topics such as metabolism, neurosensory mechanisms, endocrinology and ecology. This book has something for
everyone: straightforward explanations of basic biology for the interested layman and the elementary student of invertebrate zoology, as well as tables of data from specialised journals and the authors'
own researches for experts to argue over ... one is bound to applaud this bold and successful attempt to present a rounded view of this understudied group of animals.'
Times Higher