The book is a taxonomic guide to serpulid polychaetes (including the subfamily Spirorbinae) of the Arctic Ocean. Taxonomic keys include 37 serpulid spesies described and illustrated in detail. It starts with a description of serpulid morphology and includes a comprehensive glossary. Taxonomic treatment of species includes basic synonymy, references, and brief differential diagnoses. Information is also available on species reproduction, geographical distribution, and habitats in the Arctic Basin. Species illustrations are presented as light and scanning electron microscopy micrographs, photos of live specimens and line drawings. The book is based on extensive (over 600 samples) material collected all over the Arctic Ocean and deposited in Russia, Iceland, Germany, Norway, and Australia. The guide is based on the same material as Rzhavsky et al. (2014) “Calcareous tubeworms (Polychaeta, Serpulidae) of the Arctic Ocean”, but it has another concept and target user: it is a simplified and lavishly illustrated field guide for identification definition of calcareous tubeworms in the field and laboratory. Detailed synonymy and taxonomic discussions are excluded. This guide is intended for undergraduate and graduate students, educators and naturalists as well as invertebrate zoologists, marine ecologists, and environmental consultants.
