The taxonomy and morphology of Phallodrilus Pierantoni, 1902 are studied on the basis of material from various geographical areas. P . sabulosus sp.n., P . exiguus sp.n., P. tenuissimus sp.n., P. caudatus sp.n., P . planus sp.n. and P. extremus sp.n. are described from tropical and subtropical parts of the NW Atlantic, the four last-mentioned species being void of alimentary canal. A polytypic species is established for the European P. rectisetosus rectisetosus subsp.n. and the NW Atlantic P . rectisetosus deminutius subsp.n. P . marionensis sp.n. and P . inconspicuus sp.n. are reported from the S Indian Ocean, P. firmus sp.n. from Iceland. Three deep-sea species, P. remus sp.n., P . styloatriatus sp.n. (both N Atlantic), and P. simplidentatus sp.n. (from High Arctic Ocean) are described, and morphological notes and a new record are given for P . profundus Cook. Studies on types and other material enable morphological notes on P. minutus Hrabe, P . coeloprostarus Cook, P . obscurus Cook, P. parviatriatus Cook, P. prostatus (Knöllner) and P . albidus Jamieson. The definition of the genus is modified, and the relation of Phallodrilus to other genera within the sub-family Phallodrilinae is briefly discussed. Twenty-three species of Phallodrilus are keyed out, principally on the basis of differences in the sexual organs of the different species.