A Systematic Revision of the Deep-Sea Subfamily Lipomerinae of the Isopod Crustacean Family Munnopsidae

The deep-sea Isopods, a diverse and ecologically successful group of crustaceans, are the subject of this monograph. The author provides detailed descriptions and geographic distributions for one subfamily (Lipomerinae) in a larger group (Munnopsidae) that have secondarily evolved the ability to swim. Their evolution is illuminated by character studies and numerical phylogenetic analyses. A rationale for grouping the diverse subfamilies of the Munnopsidae into one family (as opposed to three separate families) concludes this work.