Amphipoda: Families
J.K. Lowry and R.T. Springthorpe

Division of Invertebrate Zoology
The Australian Museum
6 College Street, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia
Phone: 612 9320 6260
Fax: 612 9320 6050
Email: jimlowry@crustacea.net rogers@austmus.gov.au

Monographs and Interactive Keys

Introduction

Amphipods are extremly diverse, abundant and widespread crustaceans. They are found in nearly all marine and freshwater habitats. They are paticularly important as herbivores, detritivores, micropredators and scavengers in marine environments and they are almost always an important component of marine and freshwater environmental surveys. For these reasons and many others it is important to be able to identify amphipods. This has always been a problem for non-amphipod specialists because they are usually small, they all "look alike" and they often need to be dissected to be identified. Consequently they are often referred to in published ecological studies and environmental surveys as Amphipods or gammaridean Amphipods.

As far as we know there has never been a family level key to all amphipods. The basis for this work is: Barnard & Karaman (1991) for gammaridean marine familes; Barnard & Barnard (1983), Holsinger (dates) and Barnard & Williams (dates) for the freshwater gammaridean families; Bowman & Gruner (1973) and Zeidler (1992) for the hyperiidean amphipods and Laubitz (1993) for the caprellidean amphipods.

These keys make minimal use of mouthparts for identification purposes and they should almost never have to be used. This means that dissection is minimal and may be confined to taking off the head to get a better look at the anteroventral corner, taking off an anterior leg to see it chelation or a urosome to evaluate the cleftness of the telson.

This monograph currently includes 99 family or family level groups, including freshwater amphipods and the pelagic hyperiideans. A revised version will include all family level taxa except the european freshwater gammarid-like groups.

The family structure of the gammaridean amphipods is problematic. Reanalysis of family structure is currently going on in several laboratories around the world. The basis for the gammaridean family structure used here is Barnard & Karaman (1991), but in some cases there are modifications.

For instance Myers & Lowry (unpublished data) are currently reanalysing the corophioid families which were amalgamated in Barnard & Karaman (1991). Based on these analyses we are using some pre-1991 corophioid families. Lowry & Stoddart (unpublished data) are currently developing a family structure for the lysianassoid amphipods. Not all lysianassoid family groups are formally recognised yet.

We know there are problem areas in these keys and we are trying to solve them. Let us know of any problems you have with the interactive keys and we will try to help solve them.

Monographs and Interactive Keys

Amphipod Families
Acidostoma Group
Amaryllididae
Amathillopsidae
Ampeliscidae
Amphilochidae
Ampithoidae
Aoridae
Aristiidae
Biancolinidae
Bogidiellidae
Brachyscelidae
Caprellidae
Cebocaris Group
Ceinidae
Ceradocopsis Group
Cheirocratid Group
Cheluridae
Colomastigidae
Condukiidae
Corophiidae
Cyamidae start
Cyphocarididae
Cyproideidae
Cystisomatidae
Dexaminidae
Endevouridae
Eophliantidae
Epimeriidae not currently included
Eurythenes Group
Eusiridae
Exoedicerotidae
Hadziidae
Hirondellea Group
Hyalidae
Hyperiidae
Hyperiopsidae
Iciliidae
Ingolfiellidae
Iphimediidae
Isaeidae
Ischyroceridae
Kerguelenia Group
Lanceolidae
Laphystiopsidae
Lepidepecreella Group
Leucothoidae
Liljeborgiidae
Lycaeidae
Lycaeopsidae
Lysianassidae
Maxillipiidae
Melitidae
Melphidippidae
Neomegamphopidae not currently included
Neoniphargidae
Nihotungidae
Ochlesidae
Oedicerotidae
Opisidae
Oxycephalidae
Pachynus Group
Pagetinidae not currently included
Paracalliopiidae
Paramelitidae
Paraphronimidae
Parascelidae
Pardaliscidae
Pariambidae
Perthiidae
Phliantidae
Phoxocephalidae
Phronimidae
Phrosinidae
Phtisicidae
Platyischnopidae
Platyscelidae
Podoceridae
Pronoidae
Protellidae
Scinidae
Scopelocheiridae
Sebidae
Sophrosyne Group
Stegocephalidae
Stenothoidae
Stilipedidae
Synopiidae
Talitridae
Thoriella Group
Trischizostomatidae
Urohaustoriidae
Urothoidae
Valettiopsid Group
Vibiliidae
Vicmusiidae
Wandinidae
Zobrachoidae

This publication should be cited as : Lowry, J.K. & R.T. Springthorpe, 2001. Amphipoda: Families. Version 1: 2 September 2001. http://www.crustacea.net/