Biodiversity and zoogeography of the Isopoda (Crustacea: Malacostraca) from the Victoria Land Coast, Ross Sea, Antarctica

Abstract

The study is based on benthic material obtained during the 19th Italica expedition along the Victoria-Land coast. This expedition took place in February 2004 and was the first campaign within the framework of the international and multidisciplinary Victoria-Land Latitudinal Gradient Project. It was also the first expedition using a Rauschert dredge, a gear with a small mesh size (500 µm), in this area. The main sampling was performed at four study sites along a latitudinal (north to south) gradient off the Victoria land coast, i.e. at Cape Adare, Cape Hallett, Coulman Island and Cape Russell. Based on these macrobenthic data the taxa Isopoda was used as a model group to investigate and analyse diversity and zoogeographic patterns on different aspects and applying multiple methods.