Illustrated catalogue of sphaeromatoid isopods (Crustacea, Malacostraca) in the Canadian Museum of Nature (CMN)

Zoological collections are major treasures representing the history of animal biodiversity on Earth and are an important resource for biodiversity and conservation research. The Canadian Museum of Nature (CMN) has one of the oldest crustacean collections in Here, we provide an illustrated catalogue of the superfamily Sphaeromatoidea Latreille, 1825, deposited in the Canadian Museum of Nature's Crustacea Collection (CMNC). In this paper, we report 18 species, belonging to 3 families and 14 genera. The majority of species belong to the family Sphaeromatidae with 16 species, followed by the Ancinidae and the Tecticipitidae each with one species. We present a bibliography of the original description, current taxonomic status, the type locality, geographic distribution, and an updated illustration for all species.

Automated summary

In this paper, a comprehensive catalogue of the Sphaeromatoidea superfamily in the Canadian Museum of Nature's Crustacea Collection is presented. It includes 18 species belonging to 3 families and 14 genera, with the majority being from the family Sphaeromatidae. The paper provides information on the original descriptions, taxonomic status, type locality, geographic distribution, and updated illustrations for all species.