As knowledge of inland water Copepoda Crustacea of the world becomes more refined, revisions of taxonomic groups have sometimes lead to major modifications in defining the species and genera.
New criteria and fixed microcharacters are also used.
In order to make better use of the old works and to reduce the "currents" errors to a minimum, a catalogue of the presently known species and subspecies was clearly needed.
The authors previously attempted an approach of this type regarding freshwater Calanoids (1983) and Cyclopoids (1985). In this volume they present the Harpacticoid group which is the last of those studied in inland waters of the world.
This catalogue is considered up to date as of December 1987.