Isopoda from this data set were collected during the DIVA (Latitudinal Gradients of Deep-Sea BioDIVersity in the Atlantic) 1-2 expeditions (Me 48/1 -DIVA 1; Me 63/2 - DIVA 2) on board RV Meteor, taking place in July 2000 (DIVA 1), and between February and March 2005 (DIVA 2). Samples were taken by means of an epibenthic sledge (EBS). A total of 15 EBS samples were taken in three abyssal basins of the equatorial and South-eastern Atlantic at depths between 5,047 and 5,657 m, Guinea basin in the equatorial Atlantic, as well as the Angola and Cape basins in the SE Atlantic. Macroecological patterns of diversity and abundance in the deep sea have been derived to a large extent from macrofaunal data from the North Atlantic, while data from the Southern Hemisphere abyss are sparse. This leads to a somewhat distorted view of biodiversity patterns along latitudinal gradients.

This dataset contains Amphipod distribution records and is based on literature from the years 1931 to 2018. The data were collected during a variety of cruises and sampling events while the majority was obtained during the Danish Ingolf expedition. Sampling events took place in the North Atlantic and Arctic waters which included the Artic Ocean, Barents Sea, Kara Sea, Labrador Sea, Buffin Bay and Greenland Sea. Amphipods were predominantly collected using dredges, epibenthic sledges and remotely operated vehicles but scuba divers and vehicle-free baited traps were also used. This way, over 1566 Amphipod samples were collected in total which include 45 families, 117 genera and 164 species.