Written by an international team of contributors, this work provides the definitive introduction to marine parasites of the world. Initial chapters review the diversity and basic biology of the different groups of marine parasites worldwide and provides illustrations of the various groups. For each group it discusses details of morphology, life cycles, infection mechanisms, and effects on hosts. Later chapters cover the ecology and importance of marine parasites. The topics discussed include the behavioural aspects of parasitism, ecology, evolution and zoogeography as well as the economic, environmental and medical importance of marine parasites. The book gives readers a general background to each topic, along with up-to-date reviews of novel concepts and cutting-edge research.