Phylum Annelida are ubiquitous metazoans found in almost every terrestrial and aquatic habitat on Earth. Historically, taxonomic studies on the phylum have been focused largely on its majorgroups, polychaetes, oligochaetes and leeches, so that while family-level keys for each group are available, no single-source identification guide exists to the world’s annelid families. Here, the first illustrated linear key to annelid families is provided and family-level descriptions and diagnoses that distinguish individuals of each family from those of other families in the phylum are updated. This information is generated from an annelid DELTA database of 334 characters and 166 mostly family-level taxa. A link is provided to downloadable software (ANNiKEY Interactive) allowing the same data to be interrogated using the open-source DELTA program Intkey, which enables both interactive identification and taxonomic query functionality. For each family-level taxon, a diagnosis, full description, links to taxonomic data at the World Register of Marine Species, illustrations of diagnostic features, and a summary of the recent literature, including a list of published keys to genera and species are provided.
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Phylum Rotifera comprises about 2030 known species classified in three main groups, the marine Seisonida (3 species), the Monogononta (1570 species) and the unique, exclusively parthenogenetic Bdelloidea with 461 clonal species. Here I present an annotated checklist of the taxon, giving the global distribution of the valid species. This checklist contains over 3,000 available names at the genus- and species-group level, including valid names and a non-comprehensive list of synonyms. A number of taxonomic and nomenclatural suggestions following from the review is presented. Suggestions include several new synonyms and two nomina nova: Dissotrocha kostei for Dissotrocha aculeata Koste, 1996 non Ehrenberg, 1838 (stat. nov., ex. Dissotrocha hertzogi aculeata) and Lepadella zigzag for Lepadella bractea Myers, 1934 non (Ehrenberg, 1838). This contribution also describes features of an on-line, global names database of the Rotifera, on which this checklist is based. Copyright © 2007 Magnolia Press.
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