IMIS

Both families are dominant members of the Antarctic benthic amphipod community. In contrast to previous studies, our molecular and morphological data suggest that the families Epimeriidae and Iphimediidae may not be sister taxa. Our study suggests that Iphimediidae are more closely related to Eusirus (Eusiridae) than to Epimeria (Epimeriidae). Phylogenetic analyses based on maximum parsimony (MP) and maximum likelihood (ML) indicate that the genera Iphimediella and Gnathiphimedia are not monophyletic.