Language: English
Bristle worms, or oligochaetes, are a large and diverse group of invertebrates. Most oligochaetes living in this region live in fresh or brackish water: no fewer than 124 species in total. They play an important ecological role thereby giving much information about the condition of the ecosystem. This important, bulky book is the the first reference work on the freshwater and brackish water polychaetes in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. It offers a wealth of ecological and taxonomic background information. Aquatic Oligochaeta of the Netherlands and Belgium also includes a new user determination key. The key is based on characteristics that are relatively easy to distinguish, without specialized equipment.