stenothoid amphipod Torometopa antarctica

Torometopa antarctica has been reported from Ross Island and the South Shetland Islands and Bouvet Island at depths down to 391 meters [1,4,8]. T. antarctica has been collected at lengths up to seven millimeters [5].



Predators of Antarctic benthic amphipods include fish and squid [6].

Among malacostracan crustaceans, amphipods are the most abundant and diverse group in benthic Antarctica [3].

Taxonomic Note: Name changed from Proboloides antarcticus to Torometopa antarctica in 1987 [2] and from Proboloides antarcticus to Metopoides antarcticus in 1990 [4]. Affirmed as Torometopa antarctica in 1993 [7]

1: Catalogue of the Marine Gammaridean Amphipoda of the Southern Ocean. JK Lowry, S Bullock. Wellington : Royal Society of New Zealand, 1976. Royal Society of New Zealand Bulletin 16; 2: Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 100(4):856-875, 1987; 3: Polar Biology 11(1):73-79, 1990; 4: Mitteilungen aus dem Zoologischen Museum in Berlin 66(1):3- 39, 1990; 5: Adaptations within Antarctic Ecosystems : Proceedings of the Third SCAR Symposium on Antarctic Biology. George A. Llano, ed. Washington : Smithsonian Institution ; Houston, Tex. : distributed by Gulf Pub. Co., 1977. pp. 327- 334; 6: ANT'PHIPODA Checklist : http://www.natuurwetenschappen.be/amphi/ ; 7: Contribution to the Marine Biodiversity Inventory. A Checklist of the Amphipoda (Crustacea) of the Southern Ocean. C De Broyer, K Jazdzewski. Documents de Travail de l'Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, Number 73 = Studiedocumenten van het Koninklijk Belgisch Instituut voor Natuurwetenschappen, Number 73. Bruxelles, 1993; 8: Polar Biology 29(2):83-96, 2006

Text ©Peter Brueggeman. Photographs ©Canadian Museum of Nature (Kathleen Conlan). Photographs may not be used in any form without the express written permission of Canadian Museum of Nature (Kathleen Conlan).