Alessandro Minelli is a professor of zoology at the University of Padova, Italy. Until the mid 90s his main scientific interests have been myriapod phylogeny and taxonomy as well as the principles and methods of biological systematics. During the last decade his main research interests have turned towards evolutionary developmental biology, with special regards to the origin and evolution of appendages and segmentation.

• Preface ; 1. Reading the history of life ; 2. Animal phylogenetics ; 3. Metazoans enter the stage ; 4. Deep branches of the metazoan tree ; 5. The entangled phylogeny of the Bilateria ; 6. A gallery of major bilaterian clades ; 7. The life cycle and its evolution ; 8. The evolution of animal body architecture ; 9. The overall picture ; References ; Index

The book does not merely list facts about animal evolution. It is a celebration of the intellectual puzzles posed by the wonderful diversity of animals, an effective spur for further exploration and debate of the mysterious but

Alessandro Minelli is a professor of zoology at the University of Padova, Italy. Until the mid 90s his main scientific interests have been myriapod phylogeny and taxonomy as well as the principles and methods of biological systematics. During the last decade his main research interests have turned towards evolutionary developmental biology, with special regards to the origin and evolution of appendages and segmentation.

• Preface ; 1. Reading the history of life ; 2. Animal phylogenetics ; 3. Metazoans enter the stage ; 4. Deep branches of the metazoan tree ; 5. The entangled phylogeny of the Bilateria ; 6. A gallery of major bilaterian clades ; 7. The life cycle and its evolution ; 8. The evolution of animal body architecture ; 9. The overall picture ; References ; Index

The book does not merely list facts about animal evolution. It is a celebration of the intellectual puzzles posed by the wonderful diversity of animals, an effective spur for further exploration and debate of the mysterious but

Alessandro Minelli is a professor of zoology at the University of Padova, Italy. Until the mid 90s his main scientific interests have been myriapod phylogeny and taxonomy as well as the principles and methods of biological systematics. During the last decade his main research interests have turned towards evolutionary developmental biology, with special regards to the origin and evolution of appendages and segmentation.

• Preface ; 1. Reading the history of life ; 2. Animal phylogenetics ; 3. Metazoans enter the stage ; 4. Deep branches of the metazoan tree ; 5. The entangled phylogeny of the Bilateria ; 6. A gallery of major bilaterian clades ; 7. The life cycle and its evolution ; 8. The evolution of animal body architecture ; 9. The overall picture ; References ; Index

The book does not merely list facts about animal evolution. It is a celebration of the intellectual puzzles posed by the wonderful diversity of animals, an effective spur for further exploration and debate of the mysterious but