The second of three volumes, this account charts the progress of a scientific inventory of New Zealand's living and fossilized biodiversity. An intriguing guide, it focuses on Ecdysozoa (molting animals), the enigmatic phylum Chaetognatha (arrow worms), and the fossil traces of ancient animal activities. The project is an international effort involving more than 220 New Zealand specialists and, when completed, will include the almost 55,000 known species of animals, plants, fungi, and microorganisms in the country. To date, only New Zealand has compiled a checklist of its entire biota.