The Third International Symposiumn on Aquatic Oligochaeta was organized by Drs. 0. Giere, M. Dzwillo, R. Grimm and colleagues. Over 50 scientists attended, and while the number of nationalities dropped from 17 to 12, we were pleased to welcome our first Chinese delegation. At a brief business meeting, the invitation to attend the Fourth Symposium at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, US.A., hosted by Walter Harman in 1988 was approved. The meeting is scheduled to begin on March 15. An invitation to hold the meeting in the Soviet Union was presented for Thrmo Timm in his absence, and it was agreed unanimously that the 1991 meetings be held there, perhaps at Thllin on the Gulf of Finland. Christer Erseus has agreed to consider G6teborg, Sweden as an alternate for 1991 and as a positive invitation for 1994, so we are well prepared for the future. Olav Giere has recently expressed opinions about publishing the proceedings of conferences that make it clear why he is not the editor of this volume. Michael Dzwillo was prevented from completing the task by pres­ sure of other business, and so we undertook the task somewhat late. While we share much of Olav Giere's concern about such volumes, an honest attempt to review the papers does help to maintain quality, and both of us wish to thank contributors for their positive response to our often quite drastic re-writing of manuscripts.

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one: Taxonomy and Evolution.- 1. Some new species of Haplotaxidae (Oligochaeta) from Guinea and remarks on the history of the family.- 2. Observations on three species of branchiobdellid (Annelida: Clitellata) worms from eastern Asia.- 3. Contributions towards the taxonomy of the African Naididae (Oligochaeta). IV. Zoogeographical and taxonomical considerations of African Naididae.- 4. The variability of setae of Pristina longiseta Ehrenberg (Oligochaeta, Naididae).- 5. Hair today, gone tomorrow: induced chaetal variation in tubificid oligochaetes.- 6. Identification of immature tubificids (Oligochaeta) of Lake Constance and its influence on the evaluation of species distribution.- 7. A comparison of phenetic and phylogenetic methods applied to the systematics of Oligochaeta.- 8. Phylogenetic analysis of the aquatic Oligochaeta under the principle of parsimony.- 9. Phylogenetics of some Enchytraeidae (Annelida: Oligochaeta): A preliminary investigation of relationships to the Haplotaxidae.- 10. Contribution to the study of the Rhyacodrilmae (Tubificidae, Oligochaeta), with description of two new stygobiont species from the alluvial plain of the French upper Rhône, Rhyacodrilus amphigenus, sp.n. and Rhizodriloides phreaticola, g.n., sp.n..- 11. Oligochaetes and oligochaete research in the Zoological Museum and Institute, Hamburg (Abstract).- 12. Newsletter on Enchytraeidae. 1. Checklist of new taxa 1960-85 (Abstract).- Two: Anatomy, Ultrastructure and Physiology.- 13. Spermiogenesis in Bythonomus lemani and the phylogenetic position of the Lumbriculidae (Oligochaeta, Annelida).- 14. Unusual model of lumbriculids' helical muscles: comparison with body wall muscles in other microdriles.- 15. Ultrastructural features of spermatogenesis in Branchiura sowerbyi Beddard (Oligochaeta, Tubificidae).- 16. Physiological reactions of aquatic oligochaetes to environmental anoxia (Abstract).- 17. Aerobic and anaerobic metabolism of the freshwater oligochaete Tubifex sp. (Abstract).- 18. Anatomy and ultrastructure of the marine oligochaete Tubificoides benedii (Tubificidae) with emphasis on its epidermiscuticle complex (Abstract).- 19. Some aspects of the ecophysiology of Tubificoides benedii and ultrastructural observations on endocuticular bacteria (Abstract).- Three: Life Histories, Production and Population Dynamics.- 20. Progress in cohort cultures of aquatic Oligochaeta.- 21. Why and where do oligochaetes hide their cocoons?.- 22. Production of Tubificidae in the littoral zone of Lake Léman near Thonon-les-Bains: a methodological approach.- 23. Biomass, production and respiration of marine Oligochaeta (Annelida) from the Isle of Sylt (North Sea) (Abstract).- 24. Population dynamics of oligochaetes in a high mountain (Abstract).- 25. Mutualistic relationships between cohabiting tubificid species (Abstract).- Four: Community Studies, Pollution Biology and Commercial Culture.- 26. Preliminary study of the aquatic Oligochaeta of the Changjiang (Yangtze) River.- 27. Some ecological aspects of aquatic oligochaetes in the lower Pearl River (People's Republic of China).- 28. The ecology of some benthic Oligochaeta from the Paraná River.- 29. Distribution and ecology of Middle Atlantic Bight Oligochaeta.- 30. Vertical distribution and abundance of benthic invertebrates in profundal sediments of Mondsee, with special reference to oligochaetes.- 31. The depth distribution of Oligochaeta in an Irish quaking marsh.- 32. Oligochaete respiration as a measure of sediment toxicity in Puget Sound, Washington.- 33. The occurrence of oligochaetes in lake chains receiving pulp mill waste and their relation to eutrophication on the trophic scale.- 34. Biological characterization of sediments by standardized tubificid bioassays.- 35. Sublittoral and profundal Oligochaeta fauna from the Lake Constance (Bodensee-Obersee).- 36. Aquatic Oligochaetes in ditches.- 37. The distribution of aquatic oligochaetes in the south and eastern Mediterranean area.- 38. Population dynamics of Tubifex tubifex, first settler in the profundal of a copper and ammonia polluted, recovering lake (L. Orta, North Italy) (Abstract).- 39. Some notes on the biology of the Asiatic species Monopylephorus limosus found in Italy (Abstract).- 40. Potential for aquatic oligochaetes as live food in commercial aquaculture (Abstract).- 41. Current status and future direction of the bibliography on aquatic Annelida (Abstract).- Appendix: Results of Questionnaire.- Taxonomic Index.