In 2003, the date for publication of the annual report for 2002 was postponed and it is therefore printed in this issue of the Journal. 2002 was, however, another very successful year during which we received 281 submissions and published 167 papers in volumes 256–258. The Journal continues to receive high-quality, original research papers and reviews from a wide range of taxa and a variety of disciplines. Our aim to attract a truly international set of contributors has been met once again, with papers from 41 countries being submitted during 2002.