Covering nearly 100 years of zoological research, the Handbook of Zoology represents a vast store of knowledge. But the speed of scientific discovery in the past decades demands new formats. The database Zoology Online which grew out of the Handbook of Zoology can be easily searched and rapidly updated to reflect the current state of phylogenetic knowledge. Faster publication times through online-first publication, reference linking, forward linking and multimedia presentations make Zoology Online highly attractive to both users and authors. The original Handbook material (ca. 28 000 pages) has been reordered along taxonomic (instead of bibliographical) categories and forms the historical basis of the database. As aliving database the content is continuously updated and new content added. The material can be accessed through taxonomic and subject categories as well as free text, with a diversity of linking and search options. New and updated entries in 2012 from projects in progressmay include Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Archaeognatha, Nannomecoptera, Neomecoptera, Dermaptera, Mantophasmatodea, Chelicerata, Malacostraca, Annelida, Nemathelminthes and Gnathifera and Mollusca, followed later by fishes, reptiles and mammals. Aims and ScopeZoology Online aims to provide an in depth treatment of the entire animal kingdom from the lower invertebrates to the mammals. It publishes comprehensive overviews on animal systematics and morphology as well as extensive coverage of physiology, behaviour, ecology and applied aspects of zoological research. Although our knowledge regarding many taxonomic groups has grown enormously over the last decades, it is still the ambition of Zoology Online to be comprehensive in the sense that text and references together provide a solid basis for further research. Editors and authors seek a balance between describing species richness and diversity, explaining the importance of certain groups in a phylogenetic context and presenting a review of available knowledge and up-to-date reference literature. New contributions to the series present the combined effort of an international team of editors and authors, entirely published in English and explicitly addressing the international scientific community.