eds) 2015: Ecology aNd gENEral BIology. Thorp aNd covIch'S FrEShwaTEr IN-vErTEBraTES. vol. 1. 4th ed. academic press, Elsevier, amsterdam, Boston, heidelberg, london, New york, oxford, paris, San diego, San Francisco, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, 1118 pp. ISBN 9780123850263 (print Book), 9780123850270 (eBook). prices: print Book + eBook: EUr 210.95 (currently reduced to EUr 126.57); hardcover EUr 118.00; eBook EUr 92.95. Thorp and Covich's Freshwater Invertebrates is an ambitious publication,

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... is planned to consist of nine volumes on the inland water invertebrates of the world. The first volume reviewed below is on the general biology and ecology of invertebrates. Eight other planned taxonomic volumes will contain both more detailed keys for identifying the invertebrates in particular zoogeographic regions and details of the anatomical features needed to use the keys. But let's come to the published "first swallow" of this planned series. The first edition of Thorp and Covich's book titled Ecolo gy and Classification of North American Freshwater Inverte brates was published in 1991. The second and third editions followed in 2001 and 2010, respectively. The book being reviewed is the fourth edition and differs from the previous editions as it is a comprehensive revision and expansion of the previous edition and now deals with the ecology, biology and fauna of invertebrates worldwide. This voluminous book includes six sections and forty one chapters, written by more than eighty american, European and australian experts on aquatic invertebrate ecology, taxonomy and biology of each invertebrate group. It includes not only discussions on invertebrate ecology and general biology, but also information on phylogeny, invasive species, collecting and culturing techniques, and identification keys to higher taxonomic levels. It is designed as a standalone book independent of the rest of the planned series. The first two sections present an overview of freshwater inland ecology and freshwater invertebrates and included in the six chapters in these two sections are general environmental issues that are common to many invertebrates. The first section, "Intro duction" (three chapters), introduces the reader to the study of freshwater invertebrates. It explains the importance of the species concept and the role of phylogeny in understanding the ecology and behaviour of invertebrates and provides high quality information on collecting, preserving, and culturing freshwater invertebrates and surveying inland water habitats. The second section, "General Ecology and Human Impacts" (three chapters), presents the principles of water ecology, ecology of invasive non-native invertebrates, and also deals with the economic and health aspects of freshwater invertebrates. other sections are devoted to special groups, not only invertebrates but also protozoa. The third section titled "Protozoa to Tardigrada" (eleven chapters) includes free living protists, freshwater porifera and cnidaria, platyhelminthes, Nemertea, gastrotricha, rotifera, Nematoda (or Nemata), Ectoprocta and Entoprocta, and Tardigrada. The fourth section "Phyllum Mol lusca" (two chapters) includes various aspects of Gastropoda and Bivalvia diversity, biology, ecology and conservation. The fifth section "Phylum Annelida" (four chapters) includes freshwater "Polychaeta", Oligochaeta, Branchiobdellida, Hirudinida and acanthobdellida. The last sixth section "Phylum Arthropoda" (eighteen chapters) consisting of nearly six hundred pages is the most extensive part of the book. In this section, issues concerning individual subphyla are discussed with particular reference to the following special groups of freshwater arthropods: chelicerata -