Reyes Peña-Santiago, Ph.D. (1983), University of Granada, is Senior Lecturer of Zoology at the University of Jaén (Spain). He is author of more than 250 contributions devoted to explore the diversity (mainly morphology and taxonomy) of dorylaims around the world.

• PrefaceAcknowledgements1. ConceptMorphological characterisation: distinctive featuresBiologyDistributionDiversity2. General aspectSizeShapeHabitusColour3. Body wall and pseudocoelCuticleStructure (layers)Surface ornamentationSpecialisations Body poresEpidermis and lateral chordsSomatic musculaturePseudocoel and its components4. Lip region and amphidsLip region shapeProfile (contour) Anterior margin Tapering Differentiation (separation from the adjoining body) Lips and their papillaeGeneral pattern Lips Papillae Oral aperture (mouth) Oral field AmphidsBasic structure Position Aperture Fovea 5. Stoma and feeding apparatusCheilostomDetailed structure General morphology Guiding ringGuiding sheathMural toothAxial odontostyleOdontophoreMusculature associated with stoma6. Digestive tractPharynxGeneral morphologySections Ultrastructure Anterior section Enlargement Basal expansion and pharyngeal glands Basic patterns Pharyngo-intestinal junctionIntestine properPrerectumRectum7. Female genital systemGeneral concept and terminologyOvaryOviductSphincterUterusBasic types Uterine special differentiations VaginaVulvaMalformations8. Male genital systemGeneral conceptTestesGenital tractSpiculesLateral guiding piecesGubernaculumGenital papillae (supplements) and other papillaeSpecialised musculatureGlands associated with male genital system9. Nervous system and receptorsCentral nervous systemNervesCephalic nervous systemPharyngeal nervous systemRecto-sympathetic nervous systemSensory structuresChemoreceptors Amphids Other chemoreceptive elements Mechanoreceptors Labial and cephalic papillae Other mechanoreceptive elements 10. Caudal regionGeneral conceptTail shapeTail sexual dimorphismPostembryonic changes in tail shapeFunctional and evolutionary aspects of tail shape11. Feeding habits and feeding behaviourMethodological constraints Feeding spectrum Feeding behaviour Food suitability and selection Feeding functional morphology Excretion and osmo-regulation in dorylaims 12. Reproduction and developmentBisexual vs monosexual species Gatemetogenesis and egg production Embryonic development and hatching Postnatal development – general aspects Moulting process Genital system development Other (minor) postnatal changes Life cycle and life span 13. Ecology and Biogeography Rationale – dorylaims as K-strategists Dorylaims as components of nematode communities Local distribution Vertical (depth) distribution Temporal (seasonal) distribution Regional distribution Global distribution .The distribution of particular taxa – some examplesHistoric biogeography Phylogeography Dispersal and transport Chorological relationships Biotic interactionsDorylaims as bioindicators in a global change scenario Notes on survival 14. DiversityHistorical outlineThe origins (1845-1920)The prodigious 1930s decade The order Dorylaimida setting The golden age of the exploration of dorylaimid diversity (1960-1990) A new era for an integrative approach The internal phylogeny of Dorylaimida Evolutionary relationships of Dorylaimida with other nematode taxa Dorylaims – members of the subclass Dorylaimia Mononchs – the closest relatives of dorylaims? Dorylaims and other animal-parasitic Dorylaimia Dorylaimida and other non-Dorylaimia Updated inventory of dorylaimid taxa Subject IndexCited Taxa Index